


The Deep

by Dragonsploosh



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gay, M/M, Romance, Teratophilia, merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-03-31 01:17:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 46,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13964217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonsploosh/pseuds/Dragonsploosh
Summary: Max just wanted to be left alone. He couldn't stand the constant sympathy - how terribly sorry everyone was to hear about his parents deaths, how he should call any time he needed. Well, he didn't want their sympathy. He just needed some space, preferably somewhere quiet where he could clear his head.He thought he'd found exactly that when he bought his own home. It seemed just what he needed - a small place, but with big grounds and lots of trees, even a lake. Max could pay the mortgage with his dull office job, and in his spare time he could sit by the water and do his best to heal the wounds that haunted him. He told himself it would be easy - a simple plan for a simple life.But there were complications. Max's boss was a bully, determined to ruin everything. His work days were painstaking, almost unbearable, and Max would probably feel like he couldn't go on -If it weren't for the merman that lived in his lake.





	1. Chapter 1

Max had always looked young for his age. At twenty two, he probably still only looked around sixteen. It was annoying - people would come to the door and ask if his Mum and Dad were home. ’ _No_ ,’ he would have to tell them. _‘They died last year_.’ Then there’d be the awkwardness, the apologies, and honestly, Max found people annoying enough as it was.

At least he had the house. The money from his inheritance had gone towards a modest building set within vast grounds which had a wide lake and its own boat house. All right, so he didn’t actually own a boat, but it was still nice here. Peaceful.

It didn’t stay that way. Spring was just beginning by the time Max encountered the inhabitant of the lake. It wasn’t a particularly dramatic experience - not some epic moment that would take his breath away whenever he looked back on it. No, he was merely sat on the jetty with a sketch pad resting on his knee when a face popped right up from the depths of the water.

He almost didn’t notice, pencil still poised, sunlight gleaming off the surface. It was the ripples that got his attention. They lapped at the wooden beams beneath him, a gentle _'slosh, slosh_ ,’ and Max turned with a lazy motion of his head to see that face staring up at him curiously.

He froze. Max’s green eyes met deep crimson ones, wet black hair framing the pale face of what looked to be a man, though it became evident in the next second that it wasn’t a man at all. The stranger whipped around with a soft 'splash’ and disappeared back below the surface, the glittering scales of a huge midnight-blue tail visible for only a second before it was lost to the depths of the lake.

“W- whargh!” Max yelped, an undignified strangled sound. He scrambled to his feet, the sketch pad falling from his lap and landing face-down on the floor, forgotten. There was a dull ringing in his ears, and his gaze was fixed on the spot that the figure had just vanished from. “Uhhh - hello?” He called out uncertainly.

The only answering sound was the chirp of the birds nesting in the trees and Max’s own elevated heart beat. His eyes searched the water but that figure was long gone, leaving only shimmering ripples and the vague sense that something extraordinary had just happened.

***

Weeks went by and Max avoided the lake. He wasn’t sure how to feel about what he’d seen - he hadn’t exactly been threatened, but there was still _something_ living in the water, something that Max knew shouldn’t exist. Every time he crossed the lawns at the back of the house he felt like he was being watched, though the water remained smooth and glassy whenever he gave it a nervous glance.

The next time they met, Max was out running. Work had been stressful and he found himself throwing on a pair of comfortable grey sweatpants and taking to the dirt path that wound around the lake. It was a warm evening and he ran hard, perspiration beading at the back of his messy brown hair, his t-shirt sticking to his slim frame.  He kept his eyes on the ground, determined not to look out at the water, but he could still feel those watchful eyes on him. It made him run faster.

He was about half way around when he heard a splash. A few droplets of water hit the ground in front of him but Max kept his eyes ahead, his trainers thudding almost as loudly as his pulse as he carried on past the wet dirt. He could see the surface of lake churning right at the edge of his vision, something dark moving nearby. He hoped that if he ignored it then it might get bored and leave.

Another splash, a louder one, and this time Max was drenched. Cold lake water hit him right in the chest and he stumbled, gasping in shock. There was a strange chittering sound coming from his left that sounded far too much like laughter.

This was ridiculous. He spun around, using his forearm to wipe away the water from his face, apprehension rapidly turning to irritation.

“That’s not very nice!” He snapped.

The face blinked up at him, a huge grin plastered across it.

“It’s rude to throw water at people,” Max continued, his confidence starting to ebb when he noticed the subtle blue scales either side of the man’s neck. Only his head and shoulders were visible, but Max could see the way those scales dipped into the hollows of his collarbones, the black hair that tucked behind webbed ears. “So, uhh… don’t do it again,” the dripping male finished lamely, wagging his finger in an attempt at authority.

The response was a graceful flick of that huge tail and another barrage of lake water.

“Argh, what did I just say!!”

Max backed away, his sweatpants now wringing wet as the merman chittered, his bare shoulders shaking with mirth.

“Oh it’s funny, is it?” Max grumbled, running his hands down his sweatpants to try and push out some of the dragging weight.

The merman nodded enthusiastically before lazily arching backwards, letting his tail float to the surface and spinning around in a half-circle so that he faced Max upside down. The action brought his belly into sight, hipbones peeking out where smooth skin met iridescent scales, and Max turned his face away.

“All right. I’m leaving now.”

He began to trudge back along the path, no longer in the mood to run. The merman followed nearby, making cooing noises that progressed into a series of strange clicks when Max continued to ignore him.

“I’m not speaking to you until you apologise.”

The clicks grew more insistent.

“Nope, not listening.”

Max only looked back towards the water when he was nearing the jetty. The merman still swam alongside him but now his brows were drawn, those inhuman eyes looking at him pleadingly. His expression seemed so anguished that Max slowed down, sighing wearily.

“Can you talk?” He asked, his voice softer.

The answer was an eerie note that seemed to reverberate around them.

“Uh huh. Right.”

Max made his way out onto the jetty and flopped down onto the sun-warmed wood. His clothes were already starting to dry. The merman continued to make noises, bobbing gently in the water nearby.

“So what am I supposed to call you, then?” Max asked eventually, leaning back against the mooring post. He was trying not to stare, but he couldn't help it - the merman really was fascinating.

A definite word left the creatures lips, though it wasn’t in any language that Max knew. It started off with a deep rumble and then pitched up, trailing off into an ethereal sound.

“What? Was that you name?”

The merman nodded and said it again.

“I’m not sure I can actually say that….”

He tried to replicate the sound, but it only caused the figure in the water to scrunch up his nose and shake his head, huffing.

“Eiyaaaaaaaaaaa,” Max tried again, amused at the varied facial expressions it provoked. “Was that any better?”

The merman’s dark hair sent water flying everywhere as he shook his head harder.

“All right, I don’t think I’m gonna get it,” he admitted, trying not to laugh. “Why don’t I just name you instead?”

The creature raised a fine eyebrow.

“What abouuuut… Nemo? No? Okay how about Ariel haha no that was a joke… you have blue scales, I could just call you Blue-Scales? Or Eiya, that sounded close, right?”

The merman grimaced and repeated his name slower, looking at Max through narrowed sanguine eyes.

“Perfect, Eiya it is,” Max said with a grin, and he watched those bare shoulders sag, defeated. “I’m Max.”

He held out a hand to shake and instantly regretted it, worried that the merman - Eiya - might try to pull him in. Instead he only swam closer, close enough to touch, and stared at the outstretched limb with a furrowed brow.

“Um, you’re supposed to put out your hand as well…”

A pale arm splashed up and reached out, abnormally long fingers brushing against Max’s but going no further. There was a thin membrane stretched between each digit, the nails glittering blue in the sunlight.

“Th-this is..how we say hello…” the young man said, feeling nervous as he took Eiya’s hand in his own and shook it gently. It was wet and cold. It should probably feel unpleasant, but Max found that it wasn’t at all. The skin looked so pale against his own. Almost translucent. It was mesmerising, the deep blue of the nails and that flawless pallor, and Max found himself transfixed by their joined hands for a moment before glancing up.

That was a mistake. He let go and leaned back as new heat rose to his face. The merman had risen up to meet him, exposing most of his chest, and Max wasn’t sure where to look.

“Nice to meet you, Eiya,” he got out, trying to return his hand to his lap, but Eiya had gripped the side of the jetty and was tugging at his arm impatiently, wanting to repeat this newfound gesture. It was such an endearing request that Max couldn’t help but give in, his lips twitching into a smile, and his wrist was aching by the time he returned to the house some time later.

That was how it all started. He promised to visit Eiya again the next day, though the merman still whined and pouted at his departure. It was strange - Max realised that he was eager to see the creature again too. For the first time since the death of his parents he felt like the numb fog surrounding him was beginning to lift, and the early tinges of excitement stayed with him long after he’d left the shores of the lake.


	2. Chapter 2

Max didn’t particularly like his job. He hated it, actually, but he needed the money. His inheritance had been generous enough, but he still had bills to pay and a mortgage to keep up with. That meant work, and work meant spending every weekday in a dingy office sat at a desk surrounded by people that irritated him at best and infuriated him at worst.

“Morning Max,” called Sarah, the girl that worked in the cubicle opposite. Her teeth were blinding white in her overly tanned face. Everything about her was fake, including her smile.

“Morning,” Max nodded back politely. He took his seat in the cheap swivel chair and switched on his computer, feeling tired before he’d even started.

“Heyyy, Max! Cutting it fine today!”

Max’s boss, a bespectacled man in his mid 30’s, leaned over the cubicle and passed Max a cup of weak coffee.

“Sorry, Andy. Overslept.”

It was true - Max had spent most of the night thinking about Eiya, and the result was a groggy morning of pressing snooze on his alarm.

“Oh okay, that’s all right, it’s all right” Andy repeated, as though he was generously forgiving Max a capital offense instead of five minutes of tardiness. “Oh, that reminds me! Did you get my email? There were a few things I needed you to do for me…”

The list turned out to be long and tedious, and Max found himself backed into a corner. No wonder he’d been graced with a cup of coffee that morning - it looked like he’d be working through lunch.

“Knew you wouldn’t mind,” his boss drawled when he was done, giving Max a smug smile and leaving him to fume silently at his desk. Not that he was particularly surprised - it was just another day at the office.

***

With the extra work load, Max was the last person to leave for the evening. At least it was still light outside - just a few months ago he’d left the office to chilly darkness, his car already iced up in the gloom of winter. Now, though, the sun shone as he drove, and he felt the excitement beginning to well up in his chest as he got closer to home.

His bad day was forgotten about by the time he pulled up in the driveway. It took him all of twenty minutes to have a quick shower and dress in worn jeans and a black t-shirt, and he grabbed a hasty sandwich before making his way out of the back door, crossing the lawns in the direction of the lake.

“Mm'ello?” He called out as he neared the jetty, his mouth half full.

Eiya was nowhere to be seen. It was quiet, the water reflecting the slightly overcast sky. The wood creaked softly as Max walked across the planks, and he was just about to kneel next to his usual spot by the mooring post when he noticed something there.

It was a shell.

Max stuffed the last of the food in his mouth and dusted the crumbs off on his jeans, peering down at the shell curiously. It was large and shaped like a conch, intricate swirls giving way to a pretty pink center. Max reached for it, fascinated, straightening up and turning it over in his hands, feeling its weight.

A faint splash alerted him that he had company.

“Eiya? That you?”

The merman’s head rose above the surface. He said something that Max didn’t understand, his brows drawn together in a frown, before spinning around and diving right back under. The blue fluke of his tail came up and pushed at the last second, sending a torrent of water speeding towards the jetty. Max was ready for it today; he side stepped lightly, dodging the spray from the wave.

“Hey, what’s your problem!” He yelped. It seemed like every time they met, the creature wanted to soak him.

Eiya surfaced again right in front of him, his chin raised.

Max met his crimson gaze. “So what did I do wrong today? Wasn’t I supposed to touch the shell?”

The merman looked at the object in Max’s hand, his mouth forming a surprised ’ _o_ ’ for a moment before he shook his head.

“Wait, was that… ’ _no I wasn’t supposed to’_ or…. ’ _no you don’t mind’_ …”

The merman shook his head again.

“Okay that’s not helpful. Is it because I was late?”

The overly vigorous nod reminded Max of a stubborn child.

“Urgh,” Max huffed, his shoulders sagging. “Fine, I’m sorry. I just…I had a long day.”

Eiya made a chirping noise and cocked his head, looking less annoyed than he did a moment ago.

“It doesn’t matter.”

The merman remained quiet as Max took off his shoes and socks, setting the shell aside and rolling up his jeans before lowering himself to perch right at the edge of the jetty. His feet dangled off the side, his toes just brushing the cold water. He shivered.

“Brrrr, it’s freezing!” He complained. No wonder Eiya seemed to have that slightly blue tinge to his skin.

The merman cut through the water effortlessly, his gaze fixed on Max’s feet. He came to stop when he was closer, still staring, and Max could see the vague shape of his tail swishing back and forth under the water.

“Sooo… did _you_ have a good day?” The young man blurted, feeling self-conscious at the merman’s apparent fixation.

Eiya chirped out a soft response before reaching out. His webbed fingers just brushed Max’s left foot in the lightest of touches, and Max flinched at the ticklish sensation. He might as well have yelled; Eiya’s hand shot back at the movement, as though he’d been burned.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry,” Max said, holding up both hands as if trying to shield himself from the merman’s wounded expression. “I wasn’t ready! Here, it’s okay.”

He pushed his foot out towards Eiya and practically held his breath when the merman reached out again. This time he didn’t move as those cool fingers danced along his skin; he held still and watched as the creature’s face lit up with delight, the digits gentle and careful as though they were handling something fragile.

Beads of water left a trail as Eiya mapped out Max’s ankle, the slender hand dipping down under the water to stroke along the man’s instep. He was struggling not to laugh by the time the merman reached his toes.

“Nnnnfff, that tickles,” he complained, but Eiya wasn’t deterred in the slightest. He made a few clicks and coos before dragging his thumb up under the pad of Max’s big toe. “ _AH_!! Seriously, that - oh my god _stop it_ -”

Eiya chittered and moved in to wrap his other hand around Max’s lower leg, holding it still. His fingers were so long that they met his thumb easily, the webbing stretched taut, and he continued to explore Max’s toes while the man tried to kick, choking out a laugh at the onslaught.

“Arghhhhstop stopstop,” he giggled as his entire foot got played with, and eventually the merman relented, grinning up at Max. He tried to catch his breath, his foot splashing down as he was released. “You know, you’re kind of mean. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

The grin got wider, revealing sharp canines.

“Yeah, thought so.”

They ‘talked’ until it got dark. Max told Eiya about his bad day at work and then listened as the merman chattered back, the strange clicks and hums of that other language sounding interesting and even a little pretty. Eiya was very expressive when he spoke, his hands splashing in and out of the water and his eyes widening animatedly. In one instance he reached out and tapped Max’s ankle when he felt like he wasn’t getting enough attention.

“Yes, yes I’m listening,” Max insisted. “I’m just getting cold is all.”

The fine dusting of hair on his arms was beginning to rise as the chill of the night crept up, the chirping of crickets replacing the chirping of birds. The young man pulled his feet back onto the deck and began to roll his jeans back down.

“?” Eiya questioned. The sound was one of his inhuman clicks but the enquiry was evident.

“Sorry, I have to go in now. I’ll be back tomorrow though, same time. Hopefully earlier.” Max pulled his socks over damp feet and slipped on his trainers, not bothering to undo the laces. “Hey, did you want this back?”

He held up the large conch shell and watched as Eiya shook his head in the dimming light.

“Thanks! Okay sooo… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The merman made a sad sound and his fin-like ears flattened against his head.

“Goodnight Eiya.”

Max waved and turned around before Eiya could convince him to stay. It wouldn’t have taken much, just a pleading look with those ruby eyes, but the young man needed some rest before work tomorrow - Andy would be an absolute nightmare if he ran late two days in a row. He looked at the shell in his hand as he made his way back to the house, deciding that he would put it on his desk in the morning; if there was anything that could get him through the long tedious days in the office, it was the promise of Eiya waiting for him to get home.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at work wasn’t much better.

“I need you to re-do that article from yesterday,” Andy demanded by way of greeting.  

“Why, what was wrong with it?” Max asked, taken off guard. He’d spent more than three hours writing that.

“I won’t tolerate shoddy work, Max, you should know that by now. And don’t give me any attitude about it - just because you’re early today doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about yesterday.”

Max bit back his retort and grimaced instead, dumping down his bag. It was loud as it hit the floor, and suddenly he remembered the shell inside. He hurriedly snatched the bag back up, hoping it hadn’t broken.

“Do we have a problem?”

His boss was peering down at him over the rim of his thick-framed glasses.

“Nope, no problem,” Max replied, rummaging around for the shell. He found it unharmed and instantly felt his spirits lift as he placed it on the desk next to his computer. He looked up and smiled sweetly. “Anything else I can do for you?”

Andy shook his head. “You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were on something. I’ll be back for the report before lunch.”

Sarah walked in fifteen minutes later and received nothing more than a “ _good morning_ ,” from Andy - no admonishment, nothing. Max took a deep breath and brushed his fingers over the smooth surface of the shell. There were only two more days left until the weekend - he could do this.

***

It was raining when Max got home. He took shelter under an umbrella as he trudged towards the lake, the wet grass squelching under his shoes.

“Eiya?” He called when got to the jetty, the sound of the rain almost drowning him out.

A movement caught his attention from the direction of the boat house. Something blue glinted there for just a moment before it disappeared in the downpour, though Max had a good idea of what it was. He made his way up the dirt path and slipped through the doorway of the unused building, his eyes searching.

Eiya was waiting for him. His bare arms were resting on the raised decking while his tail floated just under the surface of the calm water. It looked eerie in the dim indoor light. He raised his head when Max approached, his ears perking up.

“Not gonna splash me today?” Max asked.

Eiya grinned and shook his head.

“Probably wouldn’t matter, I’m already soaked.”

Max lowered his umbrella and peered down at his clothes. They weren’t actually as wet as he’d thought, just spattered with a few raindrops, and Max was glad for the shelter. He hadn’t really been in here much, and he found that it was quite a nice space even though it could probably do with a clean; a few cobwebs hung from the ceiling and dust coated the exposed beams.

He sat right down on the grubby floor regardless, crossing his legs and scooting closer to Eiya.

“You won’t believe how shitty my day was,” he grumbled.

The merman cooed and cocked his head, prompting Max to launch into a heated account of how he’d had to work through lunch for the second day on the trot. Plus, Andy hadn’t even bothered to thank him for that report. Not that Max was all that desperate for his boss’s approval - just a bit of recognition would be nice.

“What do you think?” He asked when he’d finished his tirade.

Eiya’s strange language echoed around the room in a lilting response. It was relaxing to listen to, even if Max didn’t understand the words, though he did wish he knew what the merman was saying.

“Wait, wait - what does that mean -”

He repeated a sound that he’d heard Eiya make a few times, and the creature nodded enthusiastically. It was one of the easier noises, just a low hum and a click, but Max was still pleased when Eiya made the sound again.

“Yes, that one. Did it mean ‘work’? 'Annoying boss’? 'Office’? Okay, how about…. errr….was it a verb?”

It became a game. Max would pick up on the different sounds and try to guess what they meant. In return, he’d teach English words to the merman and explain their meaning, though Eiya never tried to replicate them. It was strangely satisfying, regardless; every time he guessed one of the merman’s words correctly they would celebrate, Eiya’s tail thrashing and his ears flattening against his head.

***

By the time the weekend rolled around, Max had memorised at least ten sounds. He was more than a little bit proud of himself when he chirped out the sound for ’ _hello_ ’ on Saturday morning, greeting Eiya in the boathouse.

“ _Hello_ ,” came the answering chirp, and Max set down the big box of supplies.

“You ready to get to work?”

Eiya shook his head.

“Well tough, you’re helping.” He thrust a cloth at the merman and took up his own, staring at the dusty planks. “No way am I doing this alone.”

Eiya groaned, and for a moment he almost sounded human.

***

The two-day cleaning of the boathouse was disorganised and haphazard. It mainly consisted of Eiya flinging water around and Max jabbing at everything with his mop, but since the space was now cleaner, Max liked to think it was a success. The memory of the chaos sustained him as he made his way back into the office, and he even shot Sarah a friendly “hello” as he set down his bag.

“Huh?” She asked, looking up from her phone and arching a heavily pencilled eyebrow.

“Hmm? I said hello, that was all.”

“No you didn’t, you made a weird noise. Kind of like a whistle. But, you know. Weird.”

Max felt heat rise to his face.

“Pfft, no I didn’t,” he insisted, switching on his computer.

He ignored her as he began his usual morning of checking the company emails, responding to a few of the easier ones and saving the others for later. He thought nothing of it when he clicked on one from head office, expecting some sort of change in the policies and procedures.

_'Congratulations Andrew Walker_ ,’ it said instead.

The email detailed how Max’s boss had successfully submitted an article to the leading publishers in their field. The article that Max had written.

He stared at the screen in disbelief.

“Hey heyyy, morning!” Came that infuriating voice as Andy strolled into the office.

Sarah squealed.

“Oh, Andy I just saw the email - you’re amazing!!”

She stood up and clapped her manicured hands as Andy sauntered over. He took a mock bow, smirking. He was holding a bottle of wine.

“Well, I couldn’t have done without my team now, could I?” He drawled out, raising the bottle. “Who’d like a glass?”

An older man that worked on the other side of the office came over and shook Andy’s hand. “Wonderful, wonderful,” he said with a beaming smile.

“Well thank you, Steven, I do my best.”

“ _You stole it_.”

The office went silent at Max’s words.

“Excuse me?”

“ _The article_. I wrote that article.”

Steven looked from Andy to Max, his bushy eyebrows raised.

“Well, that’s quite an accusation,” Andy replied in a deadly calm voice. “One that I’d be happy to refute. I realise that I gave you the chance to write your own article, Max, but I was actually trying to do you a favour. I submitted your work alongside mine to give us an equal chance, but I guess the best man won.”

Everyone was staring now, and Max’s stomach sank. He didn’t believe Andy for one second, but he knew how paranoid he was sounding. How crazy.

“Right. Sure.”

The tense pause was only broken by Andy’s forced laugh. “Looks like _someone’s_ jealous,” he said, and Sarah giggled while they opened the wine and celebrated their boss’s victory.

***

It was a beautiful evening, hot sun and blue skies, but Max’s mood couldn’t be more bleak. He thought about the article the entire drive home, and how he might be able to check the submission - he _had_ to see if it was his own article that had won. If the man was lying then maybe he could prove it. This wasn’t _fair_.

He approached the lake all ready to rant about it to Eiya, when he noticed the merman on the jetty. Eiya was spread out flat on his back, his arms lying limp at his sides, eyes closed. It looked like he was sunbathing, that magnificent tail seeming to glitter as Max made his way across the wood.

“Well, you look like you’ve had a good day at least.”

Eiya smiled languidly without opening his eyes. He raised a hand in greeting before letting it thud back down, the fluke of his tail twitching.

Max’s chest felt lighter as he took in the sight. He’d never seen the merman like this before - his hair was dry and spread out underneath his head, the sunlight picking out all the blues amongst the black. Max knelt down by Eiya’s side, closer than he’d ever been, and stared in awe at Eiya’s tail. From here he could see the multitude of colours locked in those intricate scales, mostly ranging from deepest blue to richest teal, but there were a few subtle lilacs and aquas in there too, sparkling whenever Max moved his head.

“Don’t you have to be wet?” He asked with interest.

“Mmm-mmm.”

The answer was a sleepy negative.

It looked like he’d been out here a while, long enough to dry his body at least. Max wondered what the tail felt like; whether it would be slimy, like a fish.

He reached out a hand tentatively.

“Mmm?”

Eiya chirped and opened an eye when Max’s fingers brushed against him, and the man froze.

“C-can I?” He asked, feeling nervous.

The tail moved sinuously, shifting closer. Eiya’s abdomen flexed with it, and Max felt warmth press against his palm.

It wasn’t slippery at all. It was smooth. The scales were dry but they felt almost silky; glassy even. Max’s hand trailed down the side and back up again, taking it all in, and Eiya practically purred.

“Does it feel good?” He asked, his heart in his throat as he continued his slow explorations.

Eiya made a contented noise and relaxed back, eyes fluttering shut again. Max stroked his thumb along the larger scales, near to where the creature’s tail met the skin of his hip, though he kept his gaze carefully averted from that soft-looking flesh. He focussed only on the sheen of blues, trailing his hand along to rub right down the front and back up again.

Eiya’s abdomen tensed.

“Hey, this okay?”

The purring stopped, and the merman’s body stiffened.

“What’s wrong?”

There was a quiet whine, and Max felt something move under his fingers. He looked down, unable to tear himself away as he watched something akin to a slit open just above his hand, something pink beginning to protrude out of it.

Eiya shot up before he could get anything more than a glimpse. The merman pushed his whole body away from Max and launched himself off the side of the jetty, splashing into the lake. He didn’t reappear.

“Eiya?” The man called, still feeling that warmth thrumming in his palm. “Eiya? I’m sorry!”

He felt terrible. His mind was still trying to process what had happened - had he touched Eiya in a place that he shouldn’t? He hadn’t even thought about it - there hadn’t been anything visible, so Max had just assumed that… that what? That the merman didn’t have genitalia? He was an idiot.

“Eiya, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! Come back!” He pleaded, feeling utterly wretched.

The water was still, the ripples gradually fading, and Eiya didn’t resurface. Max waited until nightfall before giving up. He stomped back across the lawns feeling disgusted at himself. The worst thing wasn’t even that he practically just molested his friend - no, what disturbed Max the most about the whole thing was that, in the back of his mind, he realised he’d liked what he’d seen.


	4. Chapter 4

It was late by the time Max got into bed. After such an awful day he should probably be exhausted, but he wasn’t. All he could think about was Eiya; how the merman had felt, those noises he’d made. He thought of that slit opening up. The glimpse of pink.

Max felt hot just picturing it.

He turned over to face the wall, shoving the covers down around his hips. He was hard. He could feel his arousal pulsing between his legs, trapped between his thighs. It was uncomfortable.

He knew he should stop thinking about Eiya, clear his head and try to sleep, but he couldn’t. Before he knew it, his hand was gravitating to the ache of his erection, and he squirmed as he freed it from his boxer shorts.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Max murmured, frustrated with himself. He rolled onto his back again, his cock sliding against the sheets. With every forbidden thought of Eiya it seemed to pulse, and the young man couldn’t help wrapping it up in a tight fist, sighing at the relief.

His mind replayed the image of the merman’s slit opening up once again, and Max wondered what might’ve happened if Eiya hadn’t fled. That thing that had poked out was surely Eiya’s cock, all pink and shiny. It might have slid all the way out, and Max might have stroked it like he’d stroked the merman’s tail. He wondered what noises Eiya would make then - whether he’d purr, whether he’d squirm.

He squeezed his own rigid dick and hissed as the pleasure shot right through him. Had Eiya ever touched himself like this? What did those webbed fingers feel like on his most sensitive skin?

Fuck, these thoughts were driving Max crazy. He forgot all about his guilt and pumped himself faster, his palm now slick with his own fluid. It had been a while since he’d come and he felt it building quickly, his erection throbbing. He kicked the sheets off as that familiar warmth began to spread through his belly.

“Ah!” He gasped when he hit the point of no return. His hand moved with a mind of its own, the slurping sounds of a sticky cock filling the room as he worked himself to completion. His climax washed over him and he shuddered, thinking of Eiya and what the merman might look like as he orgasmed. Max’s other hand flew to the tip of his length as he spilled, and warm semen spurted all over his palm, dripping down onto the coarse hair at the base while he panted raggedly.

The shame returned when he was done.

He looked down at the mess he’d made. He had come so much from thinking about his friend. There was a box of tissues on his nightstand, so he grabbed a few and cleaned himself up as best he could, grimacing.

At least he was tired now. He tossed the wad of wet tissues towards the bin in the corner and missed, though he hardly cared. Feeling boneless and weak, he flopped down onto the pillow, deciding then that this little session was just a momentary lapse. Nothing more.

He wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

***

His eyes felt like they were glued shut when his alarm went off the next morning.

“Nnnngh,” he groaned, finding the snooze button and rolling over. It felt like only seconds passed before it blared out again.

Max knew in the back of his mind that he had to get up for some reason, but he couldn’t recall why…. until the memory of the previous day came crashing back all at once.

Suddenly he was wide awake, a sinking feeling returning to the pit of his stomach. He had to go to work and face Andy, and then there would be eight whole pain-staking hours of acting like nothing was wrong before he could return and try to make thing right with Eiya.

He couldn’t do it.

Slightly numb fingers fumbled for the phone on the nightstand and he dialed the number, hastily rehearsing what he was going to say before the male’s voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Andy, it’s Max. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be able to make it in today. I’m not feeling so great.”

There was a pregnant pause and Max tried to regulate his breathing, his exhalations sounding far too loud.

“….Oh? How strange - you seemed fine yesterday.”

“Mmmm yeah, I think maybe it was something I ate. Either that or a stomach bug. I don’t want anyone else to catch it.”

“How generous of you, Max. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

The phone clicked off and Max released the breath he’d been holding. It had actually gone better than he’d thought, though Andy didn’t exactly sound happy. He’d probably be paying for it the rest of the week, but he pushed that unhappy prospect to the back of his mind. He had more important things to worry about now.

He showered quickly, scrubbing away what remained of the dried semen from last night. The skin of his abdomen was red and raw by the time he was done.

His sweatpants hung low on his hips as he made his way downstairs and flicked on the kettle for a cup of coffee. The kitchen was small and poky, a horrid yellow colour that Max hadn’t gotten around to changing yet. The living room was bigger, and he took his coffee in there, sipping anxiously. It was cloudy today. He wondered if Eiya would want to speak to him.

Waiting really wasn’t helping Max’s mood. He gave in after barely a minute, rising from the sofa and taking his mug along with him as he pushed on some oversized boots and stepped out into the fresh morning air.

The lake seemed calm at the bottom of the lawns, though it looked like there was something on the jetty. Max sped up, his legs burning by the time he reached the dirt path. Now that he was closer he could see what looked like a heap of dark rocks, all piled together.

“Eiya?” He called out tentatively.

There was no response so he took a few slurps of coffee, cradling the mug to his chest as he stepped onto the wooden walkway.

The rocks looked plain and black, but when Max reached for one he could see that they were anything but. There were a multitude of colours glittering within, delicate crystals that coated the surface and refracted the light, and the rock twinkled as he turned it over.

He was so busy peering down in fascination, that he almost choked on his coffee when the splash came from behind him.

“Eiya?” He gasped out.

The merman was there. Only his red eyes were visible, the water lapping around the bridge of his nose, the rest of his face hidden underwater.

“Ah! Please don’t go, I’m sorry, I’m sorry about yesterday, listen to me -”

He spluttered as he tried to think of what he could possibly say to make things right, coffee sloshing over the rim of the cup as his arm jerked.

The rest of Eiya’s face emerged slowly as Max fought for the right words. “My fault,” the merman interrupted in heavily accented English.

“……What?” Max stopped, his eyes practically bulging.

“Not Max fault,” Eiya repeated, his pale face looking much pinker than normal.

“You can… Talk?”

“No,” said the merman, shrugging.

“Urgh, seriously?! You could talk all this time?”

“No.”

“Stop saying ‘no,’ how am I supposed to believe you!”

The previous day was forgotten about as Max digested this new discovery.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” He asked, kneeling down next to the pile of rocks and raising his eyebrows at Eiya.

The merman looked to be thinking. He made a frustrated chirp followed by a series of clicks. “Do again,” he said eventually, his eyes rolling in frustration.

“Huh?”

“I did repeat again. To get right.”

Max thought about it for a moment. “You mean… you were practicing?”

“ _Practice_ ,” the merman nodded with a quick grin.

The creature had a surprisingly deep, masculine voice. It wasn’t what Max had expected, since the chirps and hums were always quite high in pitch, but he found that he liked it.

They had their first conversation while Max looked down at the rock in his lap, idly playing with it.

“Wrong time,” Eiya said, his arm splashing up to point at the sky.

“Yeah, I didn’t feel like going to work today. Just today though - I can’t do this again.”

“Oh.” The merman’s ears drooped. “My fault?”

“What - no, no, of course not.” Memories of the night before rose to the forefront of his mind, unbidden, and Max shifted uncomfortably as he thought of Eiya’s pink cock. He cleared his throat. “Hey, what are these?” He asked, gesturing to the rocks.

“Rocks,” the merman said.

“Well yeah, I meant... Huh, are you making fun of me?”

That chittering laughter washed over him. “No,” Eiya insisted.

“Yes, you are.” Max fought to hide his own smile. “I meant what are they for? They’re really pretty.”

Eiya shrugged, and Max suddenly realised he was starving. His stomach protested at his missed breakfast, rumbling noisily.

“Hey, do you eat? Wait that was a stupid question, I mean do you want some food? I need to go and grab something.”

The sun came out around lunch time, and Max and Eiya spent the day together. It turned out the merman quite liked toast, and Max enjoyed watching him eat it - especially the long tongue that ran along those pale lips to catch all the crumbs. The man mentally kicked himself when he began having bad thoughts about his friend again, so he launched into a fresh rant about work to try and take his mind off it.

He felt better about everything when the day was over.

“All right, I’d better go in now,” he said reluctantly.

“ _No_.”

“Andy’s gonna be on the warpath tomorrow, so I’d better get some rest,” he explained. “Hey, can I keep a rock?”

“For you, anyway,” Eiya shrugged, looking at the water.

Max’s insides swooped. “For me?”

Eiya only shrugged again, but Max felt like he might burst. “I - thank you,” he said, unable to help the wide grin that stretched across his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“No.”

“Say goodnight, Eiya.”

The merman huffed and looked up at Max through his eyelashes. “Goodnight,” he said softly.

Max’s heart was still pounding as he shut the door to his house, the blood rushing in his ears. No matter what he tried to tell himself, his body was betraying the truth. That flutter of his pulse, the hitch in his breathing, the lurch in his belly whenever he thought of Eiya.

He was falling hard for the merman that lived in the lake.


	5. Chapter 5

Spring gradually turned into Summer, and Max spent all of his free time with Eiya. Work was still awful, but he couldn't exactly hope for much better - he’d dropped out of college when his parents had died, and that had left him without any qualifications and practically no work experience (unless he counted the summer he'd spent working at a gas station). Considering his limited choices, the money he earned from his job was decent enough, and without a good wage he wouldn’t be able to keep up the mortgage repayments. That meant he’d have to leave the house - leave Eiya. It wasn’t an option.

His desk was now cluttered with the random assortment of objects that the merman liked to leave for him. There were several different shells and stones, all intricate and interesting, and there were even some coins that Eiya had left on a few occasions.

“Where did you get this?” Max had asked one evening, holding up a huge golden sovereign, his jaw open.

“Found it,” Eiya informed him, looking pleased with himself.

He hadn’t come up onto the jetty to sunbathe again after that day. In fact, he hadn’t tried to get close to Max at all, preferring to stay in the water and talk from a distance. Max was a little disappointed, though he knew it was probably better this way. He was determined not to overstep his bounds, even though his infatuation only seemed to be growing as time went by.

He sat in his office now, thinking about the merman and the evening he had planned. He’d been telling Eiya all about his first and only year at college and the nights he’d spent drinking with friends. Eiya seemed interested, so he’d promised to bring a few beers out onto the jetty with him this evening.

“Max, you’ve got a girlfriend!”

Max’s thoughts were rudely interrupted by Sarah, and he realised that she’d been watching him.

“What? No, I don’t.”

“Come on, I know that look. You’ve been sat there for like ten minutes with that little smile on your face - so tell me, who is she?”

Max could feel himself going red. “I don’t have a girlfriend, okay?”

“Mmmhmm, then why haven’t you even turned on your computer?”

The blank monitor stared back at him and Max cursed, pressing the button. “I was just thinking about something - _not_ a girlfriend.”

Sarah snickered as he tilted the screen around, making sure that she couldn’t snoop on him anymore. Andy was away at some kind of conference for the day, and he’d accidentally let his guard down. He should be more careful.

Still, he had a bit more time now that Andy wasn’t here to throw extra work at him. He idly googled the word ’ _merman_ ,’ his expression carefully schooled into neutral so that Sarah couldn’t make any more annoying comments.

He read through a few passages of Greek mythology with interest. Apparently, mermen were once held responsible for causing violent storms and sinking ships. They would sing hypnotizing songs to lure people in, casting humans under some kind of spell before devouring them whole. Max thought of his gentle merman and smiled. Obviously, a lot of these myths had been fabricated over time, none of it actually based on reality.

There was another part, however, that caught Max’s attention:

’ _Mermen are known for delivering trinkets to those they find worthy of their affections. Offerings of shells, rocks, or other objects of interest have been reported as a common courting ritual.’_

Max read it twice before his gaze fell to the items that littered his desk. He felt giddy. _Courting ritual_?

“See, look at you, sighing like a lovesick schoolgirl - you definitely have a girlfriend,” Sarah grinned teasingly, but Max found that he was too happy to care.

***

He brought a crate of beer down with him to the lake that evening, as promised. His heart leaped when he saw another shell waiting for him, and he tried to contain his excitement as he greeted Eiya.

“Heyyy, it’s really hot today,” he said casually, putting the crate down with a clinking ‘thud’ and wiping the sweat from his neck. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the edge of the jetty, feeling the relief of the cool water lapping at his feet.

Eiya stared at Max's toes intently, but he didn’t try and come any closer. He bobbed in the water gently as his powerful tail worked to keep him afloat.

“Oh, this is a nice one,” Max said mildly, picking up the shell and watching Eiya for a reaction.

There was only a shrug, along with a few casual chirps and clicks. He recognised one of them as the sound for ’ _hello_.’

“Yes, hello,” Max replied, amused. Hope was welling up in his chest, and he couldn’t help indulging in a long, lingering look at the merman. The very tips of Eiya’s hair were the wettest, dipping in and out of the water, and the scales that lined his shoulders shone brightly. The dips of his collarbone cast tiny shadows as he moved, and there was a teasing glimpse of muscle at the tops of his arms. The beauty of him made Max _ache._

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya chirped again, and Max realised he’d been caught staring.

“Uhhh, hello…. Yeah, I think we’ve done this already.” He tried to breeze through the awkward moment by opening two beers. “Do you still want to try one?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, here.”

He held out the bottle, leaning forward slightly.

Eiya moved in to take it, closer than he’d gotten in a long time. One webbed hand clutched at the jetty for support while the other reached out.

“Hey, your hand is wet - you can dry it on my shorts if you want.”

Max knew that he was playing with fire, but he couldn’t help it. He greedily nudged one leg closer to Eiya and watched as the merman cautiously wiped it on the fabric, the action so gentle that Max hardly felt it.

“Don’t drop it, then.”

Eiya took the beer from him carefully, their fingers brushing for just a second. It felt like an electric charge, and Max’s skin buzzed from the tiny point of contact. Even Eiya looked a bit shaken.

“S-so… what do you think?” Max asked, taking a sip of his own beer to try and calm his nerves. The merman was still holding onto the jetty next to him, and he could feel the water stirring under his feet as Eiya’s tail swished back and forth.

A pale neck was exposed as Eiya took a swig of beer. He swallowed, screwing up his face. “Yuck,” he complained, staring at it in disgust.

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad,” Max laughed.

“Yes, bad.”

“Hah, maybe you should try some tequila next time. Trust me, that’s worse.”

“Tee… kee-”

“Tequlia. Never mind, just finish your beer.”

Eiya rolled his eyes and took another sip, scowling at the taste.

“Good boy,” Max said, captivated by the motion of Eiya's throat. He looked away and practically drained his own bottle in one go, feeling that ruby gaze on him the entire time.

*

Eiya was still on the first bottle when it started to get dark. Even though Max was trying to pace himself, he’d still managed to drink nearly five.

“Maybe vodka is more your thing,” Max said drowsily. “Or that blue drink. I forgot what it’s called.”

An excited chirp made him jump, and Eiya chittered happily as he held up the empty bottle.

“Wow. Congratulations,” he told the merman. “It only took you, what… a bunch of hours.”

He took the bottle away and packed it in with the others, drinking the last of his own and standing up on wobbly legs.

“No,” Eiya said when he realised what was happening. They went through this every time Max left for the night.

“Yes. I have work. I also have to drink some water.” He stomped his feet before reaching down for his shoes.“Maybe you should do that too, I don’t know.”

“No.”

“Yeah, you only had one, but I don’t know how your immune system works. No wait - your other system, the one with drinks. Do you have kidneys? Or a liver? Am I allowed to ask that, or is it offensive?”

Eiya looked at him blankly.

“Right okay, goodnight!”

He waved at the merman and turned to pick up the crate, and that's when Eiya began to sing.

The most haunting of notes rang out around the lake and everything seemed to stop. It vibrated into an eerie thrum that seemed to seize at Max, making him turn towards it as if in a trance. The music throbbed within his body, consuming him, and he dimly felt his legs moving. The sound was beautiful. It was all he cared about. It was all he wanted….

He heard the splash before he realised what had happened. All of Max’s senses exploded back to life as he gasped and spluttered for breath, feeling the chill of the lake water envelop him. He started to panic in his confusion, reaching out wildly for the jetty and kicking uselessly, his shoes and clothes dragging him down.

“ _Max_ ,” said a voice, and he felt something grab him, supporting him so that he didn’t have to kick quite so hard.

“Nnnghh,” was all that he could manage. It was dark and he was still trying to catch his breath, panting and splashing as he clutched at the thing holding him up.

His hands met skin.

“E-Eiya?”

The merman was holding him tightly, his face inches from Max’s own. He had wrapped his large, webbed hands around Max’s middle while the man gripped his bare shoulders, that tail undulating beneath them to keep them both steady.

“Wh-what happened?” He croaked, feeling his heart pounding even faster at their sudden proximity. Eiya seemed a lot bigger up this close.

“My fault,” the merman whispered.

“What? No, don’t be - I just drank too much. God, I’m so dumb, I -”

His words cut off as he looked up at Eiya’s face. It was dark but he could see his expression in the soft moonlight. He looked like he was in pain.

“E-Eiya? Fuck, I’m sorry. Eiya?”

“ _My fault_ ,” the merman insisted, his words quiet in the small space between them. Max could feel the creature’s breath stirring his hair. “Thrall. Didn’t mean to. Thrall.”

“I - thrall, what does that mean?”

Max could hear the crickets beginning to chirp again in the distance.

“Noise,” Eiya replied, a distressed furrow creasing his brows. “Lure. Song. _Thrall_.”

The words Max had read on the computer screen earlier came to mind - some mermen sang to lure humans to them, and then they ate them alive.

“Are you… going to devour me now?” Max asked weakly, feeling stupid and shaky, his chest bumping against Eiya’s.

“Do you want me to?”

The perfect sentence took the man’s breath away almost as much as the words, and a webbed hand slid up to Max’s face and carefully brushed a strand of wet hair behind his ear.

“ _Yes_ ,” Max murmured helplessly, nodding. Thrall or not, he was spellbound. His body screamed at him to push closer, his mind growing foggy as the merman moved against him. “ _Eiya_ ,” he coaxed.

He tilted his face up, right as Eiya leaned in. He could feel the merman trembling as their lips brushed, more of a curious nudge than anything else. He drew back and looked at Max with hesitant, pleading eyes.

“Don’t stop.” Max’s own eyelashes fluttered shut as he threaded his fingers through the back of Eiya’s hair, guiding him in. He tilted his head and pressed forward until he felt that cool mouth properly for the first time.

Everything seemed to slow down. Their lips were motionless for a moment, just lingering, before Eiya responded and pushed more firmly. Max’s breath left his nose in a whoosh, his fingers tightening in the merman’s hair. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart as Eiya kissed him - clumsy little kisses that dragged along his lips, the softness of Eiya making his mind grow fuzzy. He couldn’t help parting his lips as strong hands slid to the small of his back, pulling at him insistently.

The merman tasted like the beer he’d just drank. He made a low, purring sound when Max leaned his head for a better angle, and their jaws dropped as they moved together. Eiya seemed unsure of what to do exactly, still giving small kisses in between the open mouthed presses, though his enthusiasm more than made up for the complete lack of skill. He sucked and pushed and Max didn’t even mind it when a sharp canine caught at his lower lip. It made him want Eiya even more.

There was a wet sound as the merman pulled away, and Max groaned softly.

“Sorry,” said Eiya in a low voice.

Max only shook his head, unable to find the words. He tasted the blood on his lip and looked into Eiya’s red eyes - they looked darker than normal, the pupils blown wide.

“It’s _good_ ,” the man got out eventually, and an embarrassing noise left him when Eiya leaned in and gave a quick lick to the small cut. The merman grinned at him.

“Good boy?” Eiya said, echoing Max’s earlier words.

“Hah, yeah. Something like that.”

He wanted to stay here all night. He wanted to wrap his legs around Eiya’s waist and kiss him again and again, but it was obvious that that the merman hadn’t done this before. Max’s emotions were threatening to overwhelm him, and he didn’t want to scare Eiya away.

That, and his feet were going numb.

“It’s kind of cold out here for me,” Max explained sheepishly, hoping that the merman wouldn’t get the wrong idea. “I should go inside. I’ll be back tomorrow, though.”

He leaned in and gave the merman another chaste kiss before he could complain, and Eiya cooed happily.

It was only when he pulled away that Max realised just how far from the shore they’d drifted. “Uhhh…”  he said, looking around at the surrounding water. “Do you think you can get me back to the side?”

Eiya chittered and nuzzled the side of his head before that huge tail went to work, effortlessly propelling them back towards the jetty.


	6. Chapter 6

Max set his alarm early the next morning and hurried towards the lake, the hems of his smart work trousers soaking up the dew.

“Eiya?” He called excitedly.

It took a few moments for the merman to appear, and he chirped out his usual ’ _hello_ ’ before pointing at the sky in confusion.

“I know it’s early, and I have to go to work, I just -” The words got stuck in Max’s throat, and he had no idea what he was going to say. That he couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss? That he couldn’t wait until the evening to do it again? “I wanted to see you, just for a few minutes,” he finished lamely, his face flushing.

“Me?” The merman asked with a grin.

“Uh, yeah.”

Eiya looked curious as Max crossed the jetty.

“I just needed a moment… to get me through the day,” the man tried, hoping that Eiya would catch his meaning.

He did. Or at least, he had the exact same thing on his mind. Max held on to the mooring post for balance and leaned over while Eiya swam closer and worked his tail to give him some lift. He shot up and drew level with Max’s face, their lips meeting in a sloppy, wet kiss for just a few seconds before the merman dropped back down.

Max couldn’t stop smiling.

“That was… I needed that. I’ll see you later.”

Eiya cocked his head and made the sound for ’ _hello_ ’ once again as Max turned to leave.

“Yes, hello, but goodbye because I’m going now,” the man said with a laugh and a wave.

It was the first time that he’d actually felt happy as he drove to work.

***

His good mood was instantly quashed as soon as he arrived at the office.

“Max, come and look at this!” Sarah called over before he’d even entered his cubicle.

“Hang on, let me just -”

“It’s Andy’s article! It got published, look - ”

A thick magazine was held out and Max stared at it like it was on fire.

“Great,” he said, snatching it up and dumping his bag by his chair.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Just because yours didn’t get the feature.”

He flipped through the pages already knowing what he’d find. There it was, in black and white. Max’s own work.

“I knew it,” he whispered. He could see a few minute changes here and there, but the bulk of the article was most definitely his. He had the original file saved to his computer; he could prove that the work belonged to him.

He eagerly pressed the button on his monitor just as his boss appeared.

“Morning,” Andy called, waltzing in to various calls of “ _well done_.”

“Ahh, you saw the article I take it?”

“It was wonderful,” gushed Sarah.

“Well, thank you. Do you have a copy?”

She nodded her bleach blonde head. “Max has got it.”

“Oh, has he?” Andy turned towards Max, who was still trying to switch on his computer. “Well?”

The younger man ignored him, checking under his desk for the power cable. Everything was plugged in. The switch was on. There was no reason why the thing should be blank.

“What did you do to my computer?” Max snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“You know what I mean.” He stood up and banged his hand against the side of the machine, repeatedly clicking the ‘on’ button to no avail. “All of my work is saved on here. All of it.”

“Well that certainly is… unfortunate, but I don’t see why you’re -”

“ _What did you do_?!?”

Sarah looked like she'd just won front row seats at the theatre.

“You can’t possibly be blaming me for such a thing, surely? Careful, Max - you’re walking on thin ice.”

He was practically in a frenzy now, opening his desk drawer and rifling through, turfing things out in his search.

“My _fucking_ USB stick is gone too -”

Max was so furious that he was almost shaking. That was all his work, gone, including the article. He could no longer prove that he’d written the published piece, a fact which Andy knew.

“Er, Max,” Sarah called over. “Have you thought about just calling the I.T guys instead of, you know, yelling at _your boss_?”

“Thank you Sarah, nice to see someone still has some brains around here,” Andy said with a smirk.

The younger man took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

“Are you done with this?” Andy asked, leaning over to pluck the article from Max’s desk.

Max sat heavily in his chair and turned away, holding the phone to his ear. At the very least, someone might be able to tell him if his computer had been tampered with. That would have to do for now.

***

He’d been given a replacement laptop while his computer was taken in for 'repairs.’ It ran agonisingly slow and he’d had to re-do a number of projects that were due that day, rushing everything and managing to produce only mediocre attempts.

He arrived home in a terrible mood and threw on some jeans, grabbing one of the unopened beers from the crate by the door. It was warm, but it was still beer.

There was a whole pile of shells waiting for him on the jetty, and Eiya himself was sat on the side, leaning lazily on his arms with the fluke of his tail just skimming the water.

“ _Hello_ ,” he said in his own language as Max made his way towards him.

“Hi,” Max responded, staring around in awe. The shells were huge and all different shades, but Eiya himself was the most colourful thing there.

“ _Hello_ ,” the merman chirped again, adding an extra click to the strange sound.

“Urgh, are we always going to do this? Hello, Eiya.”

Eiya’s webbed ears flattened against his head and he whined.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound annoyed. I’m not - I just had a bad day. The worst.”

He lowered himself next to Eiya and collapsed onto his back, staring up at the sky. The light blue was broken up by white clouds that drifted in front of the sun, though a large grey one lurked in the distance. Maybe it would rain tomorrow.

“Tell me,” the merman said, the creaking of wood alerting Max to the shift in weight. There was a soft’ thud’ next to him, and something wet settled against his shoulder.

“I just really hate my boss. I feel like he’s trying to ruin my life.”

They lay on the jetty, shoulder to shoulder, and Max told Eiya all about the article, the broken computer, the stolen memory stick. He explained about the work he’d lost and the unpaid overtime he’d need to do just to catch up. It wasn’t fair - everyone adored Andy. They couldn’t see what a manipulative prick he really was.

Eiya reached for Max’s hand when he was done. They were both lying motionless, staring up at the sky, their fingers linking loosely to avoid Eiya’s webbing.

“Max isn’t bad,” he said. “That is more intorpant.”

“In… Important?”

“Mmm, yes. Bad people can only steal, they won’t ever have the things for themselves. Stealers can’t make.”

“Stealers can’t make. Right.”

“Bad people only do have to steal because they can’t make the things for themself. You can.”

Max nodded, thinking about it, and after a few moments he found that he actually understood - he might have to re-write a lot of his work again, but it was something he _could_ do. Eiya was saying that he had the talent and the ability to write those things in the first place, and that he could keep on writing them, whereas Andy had to resort to stealing Max’s work just to get some kind of false recognition.

A warm glow took the place of Max’s previous misery.

“Thank you.” He turned his head to gaze at the merman and met a crimson eye. Their faces were close. “Can I kiss you now?” He asked quietly.

“Yes.”

Their fingers were still entwined as they moved in, and Eiya’s lips felt warmer than the previous night, though they were still just as soft. They moved over Max’s in a leisurely caress, and the kiss was so slow that it made Max shiver. It didn't matter that Eiya didn’t seem quite sure how to tilt his head, their noses bumping more than once - it was all perfect. Max chanced running his tongue along Eiya’s lower lip, and the merman made a vibrating hum, his tail flexing and brushing against Max’s legs. He was just about to pull Eiya closer when the merman separated their mouths and sucked in a breath.

“You okay?” Max asked, feeling a little worried when he saw the desperate look in Eiya’s eyes.

The next thing he knew, Eiya had wrenched his hand away and pushed off the jetty, splashing back into the water.

“I - shit,” Max cursed, scrabbling forward and looking over the side.

Eiya broke the surface and pushed the wet hair from his face. “Too warm,” he said uncomfortably.

“Oh. Yeah,” the young man replied with a relieved smile, realising what that probably meant. “Me too.”


	7. Chapter 7

The computer couldn’t be fixed. ’ _An electrical problem_ ,’ apparently. Nobody seemed to be able to tell Max _what_ kind of problem exactly, only that _‘these things just burn out, sometimes_.’

He’d expected it, but the news still grated on Max’s nerves. Especially when he saw Andy strolling around the office, bringing Sarah coffee, joking with Steven.

“Max, check your emails,” was all Andy said to him. Obviously that meant extra work. Max was hardly speaking to the man anymore, not even to complain, so he just nodded and kept his eyes on the screen.

Andy could give him all the extra work he wanted. It was like Eiya had said; Andy only wanted to use Max’s skills because he didn't have any of his own.

***

It rained that weekend. Max sought shelter in the boat house, bringing his laptop along so that he could watch a movie with Eiya. They sat side by side with their backs against the wall, rain drumming on the roof, though Max wasn’t watching the screen. He was too busy looking at the delight on the merman’s features.

“Look!” Eiya yelped excitedly, pointing at the laptop and nearly knocking it over.

“Yeah, I can see,” Max laughed.

The laptop battery died when they were about ten minutes from the end.

“Urgh, sorry. Guess we’ll have to watch the rest tomorrow.”

Eiya made a disappointed sound, a few random clicks echoing around the room as he poked at the screen.

“That won’t help,” Max told him, confiscating the thing and moving it out of reach. “If you want, I can go put it on charge now? I can get a drink too, do you want anything?”

“Yes.”

“…..Yes what? What do you want?”

Eiya reached for Max’s arm, lifting his chin and making a needy ’ _mmm_ ’ sound.

“I meant from the house,” he said, grinning. He shuffled in and kissed Eiya’s upturned face, sighing happily. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured before he could stop himself.

He could feel Eiya’s pulse fluttering under his fingers.

“ _Hello_ ,” was the merman’s response, always that same gentle coo.

“Hah, yes hi.” Max was used to this by now.

“Stay?” Eiya asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

“Wha - I won’t be long, I’m only going to go and put this on charge and grab a drink. I’ll be like five minutes.”

The merman shook his head. “No, _stay_. Here. No goodnight - I’ll be good.”

“You…you want me to sleep in the boathouse?”

Instead of replying, Eiya leaned in for another kiss, capturing Max’s lower lip between his own and slurping loudly before releasing it with a ’ _pop_ ’. “I’ll be good,” he said again.

Maybe he would be, but Max wasn’t so sure about himself. He’d been finding it harder and harder to try and keep his hands to himself lately, his cock seeming to twitch to life at the slightest of touches. Eiya just seemed so _innocent,_ he didn’t want to take anything too fast.

“Maybe that’s not a good idea,” Max said, and was met with wide, pleading eyes.

“Yes, it is,” Eiya insisted.

“Ahhh, I don’t know. If I sleep here then where will you sleep?”

“Here.” The merman gestured to the lake water next to the decking.

“Well…” Max gave in. “I guess I can bring a few things out and just… make a bed over here, somewhere.”

Eiya’s ears perked up.

“I’ll have to get some things from the house, though.”

“Bring bed,” the merman nodded.

“All right.”

***

It was almost pitch black in the boathouse when night fell. Max had made a nest of sorts on the decking, a pile of pillows and blankets forming a makeshift bed, and only a sleeping bag separated his body from Eiya’s. Despite the merman’s assurance that he’d sleep in the lake, Eiya had crawled up onto the side and snuggled against Max, pressing his face into the young man’s neck.

It was a good thing that it was Sunday tomorrow, because Max definitely wouldn’t be getting any sleep like this.

“Can I - Is this okay?” Max asked, pushing at the sleeping bag so that he could reach out and touch Eiya. His thumb stroked little circles on the merman’s shoulder while Eiya nodded against him.

It was still raining outside, though by now it had quietened down to a gentle patter. It made Max feel like they were in their own little world, just the two of them. He ducked his head to nudge at Eiya with his nose, coaxing the merman to meet his lips again. It didn’t matter how many times they kissed, he always wanted more.

The merman’s fluke curled as their mouths moved, and it brushed up against Max’s sleeping bag. It sent a thrill through Max, just to feel the presence of that tail - a reminder of how exotic Eiya was. He kissed the creature eagerly and trailed his fingers along to map out Eiya’s collarbone, something he’d been wanting to do for a while. The scales there felt just as smooth as his tail.

“Mmmm,” Max moaned as their tongues slid alongside each other.

He was so hard. He couldn’t help it - his hips pushed forward of their own accord, his crotch meeting the column of Eiya’s body.

“Ah,” he gasped, pulling away to catch his breath. “Maybe we should stop, I’m...uh…”

“Is bad?” Eiya whispered, kissing the side of his face.

“No, definitely not bad. Too good, actually. You understand, right?”

The merman only continued to make a wet path with his mouth, right up to Max’s ear.

“Ohhh, if you’re going to do that, then I can’t…”

He shuddered and grabbed the tops of Eiya’s arms, feeling the swell of muscle there. The sleeping bag was still rucked up around his waist, and he ground against the firm body on the other side. The flare of pleasure made his mouth hang open, not enough to really satisfy but still enough to make him breathe faster.

He slid his hand down and brushed against the skin of Eiya’s hip. A little further and he found scales, and the merman wriggled against him.

“F-fuck, tell me if you don’t want this.” Max panted, and he jammed his hand between their bodies to search for the slit he’d seen all those weeks ago.

Eiya froze.

“We can stop,” the young man blurted, terrified. He twisted his head, trying to peer at the merman’s face in the dark.

“I’m sorry,” Eiya whimpered. Something prodded against Max’s fingers. “Ah! Ah, bad, sorry,” Eiya continued, his eyes squeezing shut and his head moving from side to side.

“I - why are you sorry, should I stop? I don’t know, tell me.”

The merman gave a gasping sob and rocked up, pushing his cock against Max’s palm.

It was warm. So very different to the rest of Eiya’s cool body, the taut skin sliding alongside Max’s hand. It twitched.

“Ba - ad,” the merman got out, covering his face with a webbed hand.

Max wanted nothing more than to curl his fingers around the stiffness, but the merman’s distress made him pause.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Max told Eiya in his most soothing voice. He leaned in and kissed the webbed hand that covered Eiya’s face, three small kisses that made the merman’s shoulders tremble. “Do you think that it's bad for you to feel like this, Eiya?”

A shaky nod.

“No, it's not. This isn’t bad, there’s nothing wrong with it. Shhh, look at me.”

The hand lowered slightly and long eyelashes fluttered at him in the gloom.

“I _want_ this,” Max explained. “But only if you want it too. I can stop, but - Eiya, I’ve never wanted anything so _much_.”

He chanced stroking the tips of his fingers over Eiya’s erection and it strained for more, feeling so hard that it must surely hurt. The merman clicked out a few frantic sounds in his own language that Max didn’t understand, though he didn’t try to pull away.

“Let me take care of you. Please?”

He gripped Eiya’s erection more firmly, his excitement mounting. He’d barely stroked it but already Max was obsessed. He tried to concentrate, to stop himself from getting lost in the feel of it - he needed to take this steady, for Eiya’s sake.

With so little light in here, it was hard to properly make out the merman’s expression. That, and Eiya still held a hand in front of his mouth, muffling his ragged breathing. Max gave the rigid organ in his hand a tentative squeeze and watched as the merman flinched, groaning against his own palm.

“It’s okay?” Eiya pleaded, finally dropping that hand away. He pushed his nose against Max’s face, burrowing in close and exhaling harshly against his cheek.

“Yes, you’re doing so well,” the young man reassured, trying not to squirm from his own arousal. “I’m going to go a bit faster now, just breathe.”

He slid his hand down Eiya’s shaft and almost moaned himself when he felt how long and ribbed it was. With just a bit of pressure so as not to overload the merman’s senses, he began to pump.

It was everything he’d imagined and more. The noises that left Eiya’s lips made Max’s own cock pulse so hard that he had to retract his other hand into the sleeping bag just to relieve the ache. He kneaded the front of his pyjamas while he rubbed Eiya, enjoying the way the merman’s dick felt in his hand. He couldn’t see it, but he tried to build up an image based on touch; the base was thick where it protruded from the slit, tapering slightly towards the end. There was a small slit right at the tip that drooled warm fluid, making it nice and slippery. The whole thing would thump every so often, and Eiya would cry out whenever Max ran his thumb along the thick vein on the underside.

“You’re so beautiful,” Max whispered when Eiya wrenched out a sob. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“Nnnngh,” the merman keened out, his tail thrashing restlessly. “ _Max_ , it’s happening…. _itwon'tstop_.”

“Let it come, it’s okay.”

“ _Itwon'tstop_ … _ah_ …… ** _AH!_** ”

Something wet erupted and splashed over Max’s palm and Eiya threw his head back, an otherworldy wail reverberating around them. The cock in his hand pulsed so hard that it _moved,_ convulsing again and again as more streaks of ejaculate shot from the end.

He carried on pumping until the merman quietened down, the pleasured cries trailing off into shuddering gasps.

“Mmm well done,” Max tried to say comfortingly, but his own arousal was painfully evident in his voice.

For some reason Eiya chirped out the word for ’ _hello_ ’ as he’d taken to doing lately, and the man smiled at the quirk and wiped his semen-covered hand on his sleeping bag. He could have washed it in the lake, but he was a bit reluctant to stand up in his current state.

“Maybe we should get some sleep,” he suggested. His own cock was still throbbing and he was hoping to bring himself some relief the second that Eiya was back in the water.

“No,” Eiya said stubbornly.

“Huh? I really think that -”

A large webbed hand pushed forward to grope Max’s crotch, only to find Max’s other hand already there.

“Oh!” Eiya said with a grin.

The whole thing had taken Max by surprise, and his eyebrows shot up in embarrassment. “Ah, sorry!”

He hastily moved out of the way and felt the merman try and cup him through the sleeping bag. The webbed hand fumbled a bit, searching over the thick material and only bumping uncertainly against his arousal.

“Do you want me to move this?” He asked, tugging at the fabric, his mind clouded with lust.

Eiya nodded.

“Okay, let me just…”

He struggled and squirmed his way out of the sleeping bag, kicking it all the way down. It was a little chilly without it, so he pulled one of the blankets over his chest and moved in closer to Eiya. His erection was already poking up from his pyjama bottoms and he only had to shove at the waistband to let it spring out.

“Okay,” he said nervously.

The merman’s hand pushed against him again and he sighed, relief flooding through him.

“Tell me?” Eiya requested.

“That feels so good,” he breathed. “Here.”

He wrapped his fingers around Eiya’s and helped guide him to make a fist. Together they dragged up and down Max’s shaft, the rhythmic pumping becoming more urgent when the man felt his orgasm approaching. It was embarrassingly quick.

He slowed down right when he was on the edge.

“Ah, fuck stop, I need a minute, _ah_.”

He huffed out a few breaths and tried to keep still, his stomach muscles tensing.

“You okay?”

“Mmm, yeah. I think I’ve got it under control…”

Eiya’s hand moved without any coaxing, pulling down to the base and then sliding back up to the tip, and Max’s back arched right off the deck.

“F-fuck, I’m gonna come…” he stammered, right as the thin membrane between Eiya’s thumb and forefinger brushed over the swollen head, making his body jerk. “ _Ah_!”

The creature looked down to watch as Max spilled, the man’s heels digging into the floor so that he could buck and thrust into Eiya’s hand. His face had contorted in bliss and he groaned out Eiya’s name, each wave of orgasm seeming more intense than the last. It ebbed away slowly, and he hissed as the merman continued to pump his over-sensitive flesh.“Ah, okay, that’s enough.”

He grabbed Eiya’s wrist to stop him.

“Bad?” The creature asked with a hurt expression.

“No, good, so so good,” Max gushed. “Come here.”

His kiss was lazy but intimate. It was bizarre - this creature wasn’t even human, yet Max felt so close to him. Being with Eiya was like waking up from a bad dream, or maybe falling into a good one - he wasn’t sure. He just knew that he never wanted it to end.

Eiya was anything but predictable, though. The merman pulled away and looked down at his own hand with interest.

“ _Don’t_ ,” Max said, too late. The merman’s long tongue had come out and was lapping away at all the cooling semen. “Ohhhh, that’s… probably horrible,” Max continued, part appalled and part captivated.

“Nope,” Eiya informed him happily when he was done.

“If you say so.”

He pulled the sleeping bag back around himself and settled into the warmth, feeling loose and relaxed.

“Thanks,” he said shyly.

“Again?”

“Wha - no, not now. Soon, though. Really soon, yeah?”

“Yes.”

Max felt the merman settle in next to him as he drifted off to sleep, and he reached out to touch some part of him. His hand found Eiya’s forearm, and he left it there.

“Goodnight,” he said softly.

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya chirped back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for kudos and comments, I really appreciate them!


	8. Chapter 8

“ ** _Max_**?”

He heard his own name and groaned, pulling a blanket over his eyes to block out the morning light.

“ ** _Maaaaax_** _!”_

Someone was calling him. He squinted and blinked, realising that he was still in the boat house.

“Eiya?” He croaked out.

“Sssss,” the merman hissed, a plea for quiet. He was floating in the adjacent water, his ears pricked, listening intently.

“ ** _Max, are you here_**?”

The young man shot upright, his breath catching in his throat.  Surely this wasn’t possible - Max recognised the voice, but it didn’t make any sense.

It was Andy, and he was right outside.

“ _Shit_ ,” Max blurted, kicking at the sleeping bag and getting it tangled around his legs. “Argh, fuck.”

He extracted himself and took a few steps before realising how cold the decking was under his bare feet. He looked down at his pyjamas and groaned.

“ ** _Max_**?” He heard Andy call again, and this time the voice was closer to the door.

“Eiya, hide!” Max hissed, fumbling around for his jeans. He realised that the remnants of last night still clung to his pyjama bottoms, his sleeping bag, his hands. “Don’t let him see you, okay? Eiya answer me, it’s important!”

Max gave his hands a hurried swish in the lake water and ripped off his pyjamas, pulling on yesterdays jeans and t-shirt as quick as he could.

“Bad man?” Eiya whispered.

“Yes, bad man, but I can handle it. I just need you to hide and not come out until I say so. Can you do that? For me?”

Eiya nodded while Max pushed his feet into his shoes, not bothering with socks.

He only got a few steps across the decking when the door creaked open.

“ **Max, you in here**?”

There was a faint splash behind him but Max kept his eyes ahead. He closed the distance to the door in a rushed half-jog.

“Hey, I’m here.”

Max’s boss stood in the doorway, looking surprised.

“Oh, so you _are_ in here,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Didn’t you hear me calling?”

The younger man bristled at the condescending tone.

“Yeah, well, what are you even doing here anyway?”

Max’s home address might be on file at work, but Andy had never shown up like this before.

“Easy,” Andy said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “I did try to call, but when you didn’t pick up I thought I’d stop by, see if everything was all right.” He looked past Max into the boat house. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

Max tried not to flush as Andy eyed up the sleeping bag and discarded pyjamas - he just hoped that none of the stains were visible from here.

“Uh, thanks.”

“Really does look like we’ve been paying you too much.”

Andy was smiling but something about his tone didn’t sound friendly at all.

Max gave a short, nervous laugh, not really sure how to respond. “That’s uhhh…. well, shall we just…”  He stepped around Andy, feeling uncomfortable as he passed him in the doorway. He wanted to put as much distance between them and the boat house as possible.“So. What was it that you wanted to speak to me about?”

“Hmm?” Andy asked, still peering through the door curiously.

“On the phone. Before you came all the way out here to see if I was all right.”

“Ah, I was in the area anyway,” the boss answered, waving it off. Since Max lived in the middle of a cluster of fields and woodland, that seemed highly unlikely. “No, I just wanted to have a little talk, just the two of us.”

“Okay, great.” Max tried to force some enthusiasm in an attempt to draw Andy’s attention. It seemed to work - Andy turned and gave Max a smirk while Max fought to stay calm. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he told himself.

“Well since you’re so eager, why don’t we take a walk?” Andy said, gesturing to the dirt track behind them as if offering it to Max. The morning sun was just peeking out from the few remaining rainclouds and the wet grass shone in the weak light, everything smelling earthy and fresh after last night’s downpour. Max wrapped his arms around himself and took a few steps, hearing the crunch of dirt as his boss fell into step beside him.

“Well, then,” Andy started as they trudged. “I thought it best we had a private chat, away from the office. I realise that things have been a little… _strained_ there lately. I was hoping it might settle down, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Max made a noncommittal noise and shrugged, wondering what the hell Andy really wanted. Maybe he just came to snoop around the house.

“In the interest of resolving things like adults, I think its best if we just be honest with each other. People have been noticing your mood swings, Max. It’s making them uncomfortable.”

“My… my _mood swings_?”

“Indeed. I’m coming here to you today as a courtesy - you need to start treating myself and your co-workers with more respect.”

“I - _what_?”

Max stopped just along from the jetty, hardly able to believe his ears.

“Are you listening? I’m saying that your behaviour needs to change before we have any problems.”

The younger man’s hands were balled into fists at his sides. “And why do you think I might have a problem, hmm? What could _possibly_ have happened to upset me?”

“….. I don’t know, that’s what _you_ need to work on. Like I said, I’m here as a favour to you, an informal discussion. No one needs to know about this -”

“Like no one needs to know about the article? Or my computer?”

Max was breathing hard now, cold fury surging through him.

“See, this is precisely what I mean. If you can’t get your temper under control then you obviously aren’t fit for work. All of these false accusations are only humiliating you, it’s embarrassing to watch.”

“You’re the one that should be embarrassed. All this talk about being honest with each other - we both know that you stole my work because your own wasn’t good enough. Tell the others whatever you want, but don’t delude yourself that you’ll ever be more than a worthless _liar_.”

The words were spiteful and uncontrolled, but they felt good. Too good - the outburst had probably just cost Max his job.

“Is that what you really think?” Andy asked, an unsettlingly pleased look on his face.

If he couldn’t earn enough money then Max would need to find somewhere cheaper to live. Eiya’s heartbroken face flashed to mind, and the man found his rage suddenly replaced with something else.

He shook his head dumbly, struggling to think of some way to turn it around.

“I didn’t…”

“ _You_ think _I’m_ not worth anything? Just look at you, Max. What, did you…. sleep _outside_ last night? Something’s obviously wrong with you, that much is clear. I think I’m going to have to let you go if you -”

“No, _wait_ ,” Max said quickly. This was ridiculous - he didn’t care about a stolen article or a broken computer. He cared about Eiya. He couldn’t let Andy fire him. “Look, I’m sorry. I just, I was uhhh…. I wasn’t expecting company today and I’m tired and I… can we start over?”

Andy’s lip curled into a sneer.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? People like you make me sick. You think you can weasel your way out of anything. Look at this place -” he gestured to the house at the end of the lawns. “You’re used to having everything handed to you on a plate, aren’t you?”

“What? No -”

“It’s all just so _easy_ for you.”

“…Actually, I got the deposit from the money my parents left me - you know, after they died.”

Andy looked over at the lake and back again. “Worked out well for you,” he said with a dismissive shrug.

Everything seemed to slow down for Max. Andy had hit a nerve, and he knew it. He looked so viciously delighted in his verbal attack, it was obvious he wanted a fight. That was fine by Max - his job was probably forfeit by now anyway.

“I’m glad you think so,” the younger man nodded, his voice surprisingly steady. “Oh, and speaking of things working out for me, I managed to get my hard drive back. It turns out that it wasn’t _quite_ as damaged as the I.T department first thought.”

It was a bluff, but the smirk was slowly slipping from Andy’s face. “You’re lying. I saw the report myself, it was conclusive.”

“Hmm, not when I took it somewhere for a second opinion…”

The boss opened and closed his mouth before readjusting his glasses and fixing Max with a stern glare. “Where is it?” He demanded.

“Oh? Why are you so interested all of a sudden? Could it be because I could, I don’t know, contact head office and prove you’re a fraud?”

Andy’s face was beginning to contort with anger. “If you think,” he growled, jabbing a finger at Max’s chest, “for _one second_ that you’re going to hold that over my head -”

“You’ll what? Hmm? Hey, do you think they’ll fire you? I’m not too sure what the protocol is on plagiarism.”

The older man didn’t seem to have any words, his composure rapidly unravelling. Max found himself having to retreat as Andy invaded his space, backing him right to the shore of the lake. For one fearful second, he really thought that his boss was going to hit him.

“You aren’t going to say a thing, and I’ll tell you why -” Andy started aggressively.

Max never found out why.

There was a splash behind him and Eiya’s voice rang out, clear and sharp and cutting through everything. _The thrall_.

It reverberated into Max’s bones, calling to his blood and singing in his veins. All the tension left him as the noise took over, forcing him in the direction of the merman, his shoes getting wet as he stumbled into the lake.

There was a splash next to him as Andy answered the call too. Neither of them said a word as the song continued, and the two men strode further into the water, the chill lapping around their waists.

Max was almost chest-deep when the song ended. The music seemed to ring in his ears for a few moments before trailing off, and he sucked in a deep breath as the thrall released its hold. It seemed so quiet all of a sudden - too quiet. He turned around, scanning the lake for Eiya, his mind racing when he realised he was alone.

Andy had completely disappeared, the water rippling out from a spot nearby.

“ **Eiya**!” Max shouted desperately, his hands slapping against the surface as he tried to spin in the heavy water. “ **Eiya**! Fuck, Eiya, _oh god_ -”

Something bubbled up a few meters away, and Andy’s head shot up with a great gasping splash.

“Help!” The man screamed, his voice more than panicked - it sounded agonised. Laboured breaths left him as his eyes fixed on Max. “MAX! Help me, help me -”

Max moved forward immediately, stretching out a hand. “Here!”

“ARGH!”

Andy seemed to jerk back, his entire body bending at an unnatural angle. His shout echoed around the lake and the birds in the trees all cawed and took flight.

“E-Eiya?” Max panted, panic sending adrenaline pumping through his veins like ice. He moved as if in a dream, wading out further into the lake and reaching for Andy, though his boss was no longer looking at him.

He was looking at something just below the surface.

A huge shape moved there, the shadow flowing around Andy’s waist. Max saw the merman’s face just before he reared up, droplets of water streaming from his shoulders.

“NO!”

There was only enough time for Max to shout that single word before the creature lunged. Eiya moved so fast, it didn’t even seem possible; his webbed hands snapped forward to circle around Andy’s wrists and he _twisted_ him, a sickening _crack_ joining the man’s ear-splitting scream. That powerful tail sent them both splashing out of Max’s reach and Andy’s eyes seemed to bulge as Eiya wrenched him in close.

The scream trailed off into a gurgle as Eiya took the first chunk of flesh out of Andy’s neck. Blood poured slowly at first, those fangs sinking in deep before the merman tore away. A thick stream of red dripped down Eiya’s chin, and something like string dangled from his jaws. The merman chased the blood on his lips before diving in again, meeting no resistance from the bleeding man and throwing him off balanc. Both of them were swallowed up by the lake.

Max didn’t even feel himself move until he was halfway to the shore. He felt nothing; not the water around his legs, not his clothes sticking to him. There was only blind terror as he fought his way towards the safety of the grass.

The sound of water swishing reminded him that he wasn’t alone.

“G-go away, go away,” he stammered, reaching out with his arms to try and push himself along faster.

The chirping response was so normal, a sound that he was used to hearing, but right now it terrified Max. He refused to look, though there was a definite red tint at the corner of his vision.

“N-no, go away.”

“Max?”

The word sounded hurt, and the young man knew exactly how Eiya would look right now. Those expressive eyes would be big and pleading, begging him to wait. Maybe he would. Maybe Eiya would rip out his throat like he’d just done to his boss. He didn’t know anything anymore - he just needed to get away, to put as much distance as he could between himself and the merman.

His feet sank a little into the mud near the shallows, and he ended up crawling up the bank on his hands and knees. Eiya still called to him, but he was on solid ground now and running.

The merman was like a myth come to life, a beautiful legend made real in front of him, and not once had he ever wondered whether Eiya could be anything else. Now, however, reality hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest, and he let out a breathless sob as the truth finally sank in.

Eiya was a monster.


	9. Chapter 9

_The squeal of tires skidding on tarmac. Glass breaking. Metal shrieking. The sounds were so vivid, but the colours were worse. Orange and red flames licked up the sides of the crushed car, bubbling and peeling away the faded paint. In Max’s head, his parents were still alive at that point._

_“It’s okay, everything’s going to be all right.”_

_His father would have worked to keep his mother calm, soothing her with soft words while he tried to get the door open. It would be stuck. Smoke would choke them, blood would drip from their wounds. Maybe a broken bone would stop Max’s mother from being able to move. Panic probably crept in as they took their last breaths. Would they have boiled alive? Suffocated? Or would they have had time to smell their own scorched hair? Max was never actually there in real life, but he saw it in his dreams just the same.  
_

_This time, however, something was different. Max was sat in the back seat as usual, when something smacked up against one of the intact windows. Flames began licking up the legs of Max’s parents, but the young man turned his attention outside. The cries became background noise as the smoke cleared and a new face became visible._

_It was Andy and he was laughing, even as he burned._

***

Max woke up with a cold sweat clinging to his body. He was used to this by now; the nightmares were a regular occurrence, though they’d seemed to be easing off lately. Last night had seen their brutal return, and it took Max a few moments of deep breathing to try and calm his racing pulse.

He didn’t have to be a psychoanalyst to decipher what it meant.

Yesterday had been little more than a blur after Max had gotten back to the house. He hadn’t known what to do with himself, half expecting Andy to show up at the door, bleeding and begging for help. When no one came, Max threw himself into his work in an effort to keep his mind busy. He sat on the sofa and typed out the remaining work that he’d lost, even answering some emails like everything was normal. It was almost a success - with the distraction, he’d managed to block out the thoughts of Eiya’s bloody fangs for a short while.

It was all coming back to him again now. Andy’s scream echoed in his mind as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A glance at his phone showed that it was 5.30am, but there was no way he’d manage to get back to sleep now.

It was Monday, and he’d be expected at work. He had no idea what to do - just turn up and act like everything was fine? He’d almost called the police the day before, picking up the handset and dialing the numbers before slamming the phone back down in frustration. He couldn’t exactly tell anyone that a merman had just killed his boss in the lake outside his house.

All that he could do was try to carry on with his life. He showered and dressed carefully in his white work shirt and grey trousers before trying to force down some breakfast. He avoided looking out of the window as he made himself a cup of coffee, though he felt like he was being watched the entire time. It was ridiculous since the lake was all the way at the other end of the lawns, but it still made him retreat further into the house.

It was probably good that he was running early. When he reached his car, he noticed the bicycle sprawled across the concrete near the gate post. Of course Andy would have a bike. Max hadn’t even thought to check for such a thing, shutting himself away and trying to block it all out, but now it couldn’t be ignored.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath.

The bike felt unrealistically heavy as he lifted it. There was a small bag attached to the back but he didn’t investigate further, merely hefting the entire thing over to the door and shoving it into the hall. He locked it away and took a deep breath, facing his car for the second time and trying to convince himself that if he could just get through the day then everything would be all right.

***

It was unsettling to be back at the office.

“Morning!” Called Sarah cheerfully, setting her handbag on her desk and rifling through it. She pulled out her phone and span in her chair, paying no attention to Max as he stared at his blank computer screen.

He finally switched on the monitor some time later, going through the process of checking his emails and half expecting his boss to walk in the door.

It didn’t take too long for the man’s absence to get noticed.

“Hey, has anyone seen Andy?” Steven asked, coming to lean against Sarah’s cubicle. He was casual, looking through a pile of papers in his hand, but Max’s heart leapt at the mere mention of his name.

“I _haven’t_ ,” Sarah admitted with a little frown. “Is he at another conference?”

“Hmm, nope,” Steven said without glancing up. “I was supposed to talk to him about this,” he continued, tapping the paper, “but I guess he’s not in.”

“Oh, I hope he isn’t sick,” Sarah added with concern. “He usually emails. Have you heard anything, Max?”

Max almost forgot to breathe as he shook his head. “There’s nothing in my inbox,” he replied, trying to keep his voice even.

“I’ll text him.”

Sarah began tapping away at her phone and Steven gave a distracted shrug, obviously finding nothing strange about the situation. Clearly, no one assumed that Andy was lying dead at the bottom of Max’s lake. He wondered how long that would last.

***

“God, Max you look awful. Have you heard anything from Andy yet?”

Three days later, and Max felt like he hadn’t slept at all. It didn’t help that sometimes he could distinctly hear Eiya’s mournful voice, calling for him. He’d shoved a pillow over his head last night, eventually putting on his headphones and wiping at his wet eyes.

“No,” he answered groggily, setting down his bag.

“Really? ‘Cos there are some guys here that want to speak to us.”

Max looked up and realised how distressed Sarah looked.

“Guys?”

Sarah’s shoulders shook and she let out a little squeak. “M-Max, they said that he’s _missing_.”

This was exactly what Max had been fearing. The scene had played out over and over again in his head; he’d known it was only a matter of time.

“Missing? What do you mean?”

“You know how we thought it was weird when he didn’t call in sick or anything? I rang up head office yesterday and asked them, they said it was being 'dealt with’. Doesn’t really look like they - oh, shhh, here they are.”

Two police officers walked into the office, Steven following and nodding as one of them asked him something.

“Yeah, Max is here now,” he responded, gesturing over, and the officers turned to look at him.

He needed to stay calm. Or maybe he didn’t - maybe he was supposed to be shocked and upset. He wasn’t sure.

“Max Harper, right? Are you free for us to have a word? It won’t take long.”

They were being too nice, too casual. Maybe they _knew_.

“Yeah, no problem.”

Max stood up on weak legs and followed the two men from the room, heading down the hallway towards the cafeteria. There wasn’t anyone else there at this time, and a fresh cup of coffee was placed in front of him by the older officer.

“My names Carl and this is Thomas. We’re just trying to get a clear picture of things at the moment, just asking some questions to piece things together. I’m sure you’ve already heard that Andrew has been reported missing. In most of these cases, it turns out that people just,” he shrugged, “needed to get away. I wouldn’t worry just yet, but any information you have could help us out a lot.”

It all seemed so easy. Thomas made notes while Carl asked a few questions; just normal things, like how did Andy seem on Friday? Was he stressed? Had Max heard from him after that?

Max answered as best as he could, focussing on Carl’s moustache and trying not to think about what really happened. He told them he hadn’t heard anything, he’d last seen Andy on Friday evening, and they nodded as they sipped at their coffee.

“Well, as I said, these things usually clear up by themselves. If you think of anything else, just give us a call." He handed over his card. "Thank you for your time, Max.”

Max was eventually escorted back to the office, where people from other departments were now milling around, talking in low voices. It had never been so busy in the cubicles.

*******

That weekend, Max didn’t stay at the lake house. He went to visit an old college friend, faking smiles and laughs, forcing conversation - anything to get away.

It didn’t make him feel better when Monday rolled around again.

“Max, did you see the news?” Sarah asked when he got into work. Steven and another woman, Karen from reception, were all conversing in the small space next to the water dispenser.

“No,” Max replied, already feeling exhausted. Surely this couldn’t be good.

“It’s public,” Sarah informed him, sounding shaken. “He’s really missing, Max. _Really_ missing.”

“Awful, just awful,” Steven agreed.

They all looked at Max like he was supposed to say something profound.

“I…. Yeah, that’s really… Horrible,” he nodded, and the conversation moved on to speculate just what kinds of 'horrible’ things could have happened to their boss. Their guesses didn’t even come close.

***

Max had somehow gotten behind on his work again. He spent the day watching the office door, waiting for the return of the two police officers. He only got more anxious when they didn't show. By the time he got home, Max didn't know what to do with himself. He still had Carl's card - he wondered whether to call, though there wasn't really anything he could say. Nothing that wouldn't incriminate him, at least. The police had taken Max's details too, and he found himself constantly checking his phone, waiting for it to ring.

He jumped when the doorbell rang instead.

Max wasn’t even the slightest bit surprised to see Carl outside, the police car parked in his driveway.

“Sorry to bother you at this time,” Carl said politely.

“Oh, that’s - that’s okay.” If Max could hear the tremor in his own voice then surely the policeman could too.

Carl looked at him for a moment, and there was an awkward pause before he prompted; “can I come in?”

Max mentally kicked himself for not extending the invite. “Sure, of course.” He held the door wider and stepped back, allowing the older man past. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Thanks, some coffee would be a godsend. It’s been a long day, I’ll tell you that.”

Max put the kettle on while the officer took a seat in the living room. “Do you take milk?” He called in, refusing to look out of the window at the lake.

“Please. Oh, and one sugar, thanks.”

He made the tea as quick as he could, wondering whether he should put on the television or something. The last thing he needed would be for Eiya to start up his noisy laments, and the very thought of it put Max more on edge.

At the last second, he noticed the back door. It was slightly ajar, the small porch beyond it visible through the crack. It was where Max kept all his shoes and coats, plus a tumble dryer that was awkwardly set against the wall since there wasn’t enough space in the kitchen. Andy’s bike had also been abandoned in there. He could see the back wheel from here.

“Everything all right?” Came the police officer's voice along with the creak of the sofa.

Max grabbed the mugs and took a few hurried steps, no time to shut the back door without making it look weird.

“Here you go,” he said, passing Carl the coffee. The officer sat back down with a _'thank you_ ,’ and Max sat in the chair furthest from the kitchen. “So, what can I do for you? Has there been any news?”

Carl took a sip of his drink and made an _'ahhhh_ ,’ sound. “Unfortunately, nothing good. We still don’t have any trace of Andrew’s whereabouts, though the case has been moved to high priority. He was last seen on Saturday the 15th of July. A look at his phone records showed that the last call he made was the following day, on Sunday morning.”

_Shit_. Max had completely forgotten. Andy had tried to call him that morning, and the evidence would be there in black and white, easy for the police to find. There was no point in denying it.

“Oh, right. I got a missed call from him that day.”

Carl nodded. “Any reason why you didn’t mention this before?”

“I, uh, honestly I didn’t think it would be useful. You asked if I’d spoken to him and I hadn’t. I never picked up the phone or called him back. Of course, I wish I had now.”

“Of course,” the officer agreed sympathetically. “Now, Max, it would help us out a lot if we could see your own call records. I’m sure they’ll confirm exactly what you’re saying.”

“I - yes.”

“Good, that’s great. We’ll also need a statement as to what you were doing on Sunday the 16th of July.”

“Like - like an alibi?” The words spilled from Max before he could help it.

Carl gave a thin smile and took another sip of his coffee. “We’re just ruling things out, trying to make a little map of what happened. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, but it’d help if you could give us that statement.”

He looked at Max expectantly.  Of course, the young man didn’t have an alibi. He’d been at home that entire weekend, seeing no one except for his inhuman lover and Andy himself. He idly wondered what prison would be like - with his small frame and almost feminine looks, he probably wouldn’t last a day.


	10. Chapter 10

“Work,” Max blurted, grasping at the only straw he had left. “I - I spent the weekend here, catching up with work.”

Carl nodded. "I’ll just need some proof so that we can move on.”

Max must have looked nervous, his fingers pulling idly at a loose thread in his t-shirt. “I - yeah, I mean, that’s fine.”

The policeman gave him a patient smile. “You know you aren’t being targeted here, Max. We’re talking to everyone that played a prominent role in Andrew’s life, not just yourself.”

Max nodded. “Yeah, no it’s….My laptop - I sent emails.”

“That’s great. If you’ll allow me access to your phone and email account, I can close this line of inquiry. I assure you that your details will be handled with utmost discretion.”

“Are you… confiscating my things?”

“No, nothing like that. There’s no reason to take your devices, I just need some basic information and a signature. It’s just procedure.”

Max found himself nodding and reading through a data protection form that the officer pulled out of his bag. Obviously, he’d come prepared. The words were in small print, seeming to group together and blur, but he signed the document and filled out the necessary details, handing it all back in to Carl.

“That’s great, you’ve been more than helpful, Max. That’s all I’ll be needing for now.”

The young man gave a feeble smile and rose along with the police officer. “Glad I could help.”

“You just let us know if you remember anything. I’ll put this in the kitchen, shall I?” Carl replied, draining the last of his coffee and raising the mug.

“No! I’ll take that,” Max said quickly, reaching out. Andy’s bike was still in view and that was the last thing he needed the policeman to see.

“Ah, thank you. Right then, on to the next - take care of yourself.”

“Good luck with the… search and everything.”

He watched the car leave with part relief and part trepidation. Somehow, he didn’t think it was the last time he’d be seeing the man.

That meant he had to get rid of the bike. Max felt like an idiot for not doing it sooner, just leaving it in his porch for anyone to see. He headed back into the house, through the living room and into the small kitchen where the back door was still ajar. He pushed it further and stepped over the bike wheel, unlocking the outer door and swinging it wide.

There was only one place he could hide the bike. It was time to return to the lake.

Max was at least smart enough to hoist the bike high instead of allowing it to make tracks in the grass. He felt sick as he marched across the lawn with it, the blue of the water growing closer and closer with every step.

It was too quiet. The sky was dusted with brilliant shades of reds and oranges as the sun sank lower, the colours reflecting in the calm surface. Max set the bike down when he reached the jetty and began to wheel it across, the tires making a gentle ‘thunk’ against each plank. His ears strained for the stirring of water, anything to cut through the tension.

In the end, it was Max himself that broke it.

“Eiya.”

It was barely more than a whisper, but the answer was immediate.

“ _Hello_.”

Max hadn’t heard a splash, only Eiya’s soft voice chirping out the inhuman syllables. The man sucked in a sharp breath at the sound, spinning to his left and fixing his eyes on the pale face that looked up at him from the water.

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya repeated when Max found his throat too dry to speak.

He swallowed and took in those familiar features for the first time in over a week. When he’d last seen Eiya, there’d been blood around his mouth. It was clean now, as though nothing had ever happened.

“I don’t want to speak to you,” Max croaked, his voice sounding thick. He shut his eyes to try and stop the influx of images resurging in his mind.

“No-o, Max, I - I’m sorry. I did bad? Don’t leave, I’m sorry -”

The merman was stumbling over his words, sounding bewildered and hurt. The swishing water alerted Max to his approach, and he looked up again to see Eiya swimming closer to the jetty.

“Stay back, just stop.” Max closed his hands tighter around the handlebars of the bike, gripping until his knuckles turned white. “ _Yes_ , you did bad. I can’t talk about this.” He couldn’t let that innocent expression fool him - Eiya was a killer.

“I didn’t mean to -”

“You did. Don’t tell me it was an accident, that’s bullshit.”

Max took the last few paces to the end of the jetty and lifted the bike in shaky hands, swinging it back once before heaving it forward and letting it tumble into the water below. The splash reached Eiya and he blinked, the water dripping down his face like tears.

“Max, _ple-ase_ ,” the merman begged, letting out a few frantic chirps and clicks that Max didn’t understand. The young man spun around, determined to leave the lake behind him forever. “MAX, listen, _listen_ , I _didn’t_. Didn’t mean to - I only wanted to stop the bad man.”

“Well, you did more than stop him.”

Eiya gave a shuddering sob and swam alongside Max as he made his way back down the jetty.

“You were _frightened_. The bad man wanted to h-hurt you - I only wanted to protect _,_ keep you safe, _listen_ -”

The words chipped away at Max, hurting him far more than any admission of savagery ever could.

“You don’t understand,” Max said, more to himself than to Eiya. He’d reached the end of the jetty now, though the merman was still attempting to follow, beaching himself on the silt and thrashing his tail uselessly in the mud.

“No, I do, I was _bad_. _Please_ don’t leave, I’ll be better, I _will_.”

Max’s breath hitched.

“Eiya, it’s done. You need to stop calling for me. I can’t come back here anymore.”

“ _Max, wait_ -”

Walking away was agonising, but Max had no choice. Even though the merman had only been trying to protect him, he’d still killed a man. It couldn’t be so easily forgiven, no matter how much Max wanted to do just that.

***

Sleep was an impossibility, no matter how exhausted Max was. All he could think about was Eiya. Max didn’t even know all that much about merfolk, how they normally reacted when threatened. Eiya had probably just done what came naturally, acting on instinct rather than murderous brutality. It was so easy to believe, the creature’s innocent, pleading face flashing across Max’s mind, but the memory of blood would always return, confusing him all over again.

Even worse were the other thoughts, filling him up like poison; Andy had threatened to ruin everything for him, aggression filling their last exchange. If Eiya hadn’t stepped in, who knows where it could have lead? Nowhere good, surely. Maybe Max was actually better off with his boss dead.

The man rolled over, hating himself for thinking such things, conflicted by his desire to just get out of bed and sprint through the darkness towards the lake. He found it ironic that the one thing he yearned for more than anything was the source of all his pain. In the end, he didn’t know what hurt the most - being this close to a killer, or being so far away from him.

***

When Max got to the office, it was to a sea of whispers. They died off as soon as he stepped in the room, a heavy silence interrupting Max’s rueful thoughts.

“Morning,” nodded Max, and suddenly everyone had better places to be. Sarah shuffled some papers and gave him a quick smile, Steven scurrying away to his own desk. “So. What’s going on?” He prompted when the quiet became too much.

Sarah looked up with another false flash of teeth. “Oh, nothing. You know, just… work.”

“Right, yeah.”

Max didn’t dare to press the topic. He sat stiffly in his chair, waiting for the inevitable. Lunch came and went, the awkward silence continuing to pervade the office like a bad smell before the phone rang on Max’s desk, the blinking light alerting him that the call was being transferred from the main line.

“Hello Max, it’s Carl.”

It was almost a relief to hear that calm voice - waiting had been so nerve-wracking that Max found himself eager to get this over with.

“Oh, yeah hi. Was there a problem with my details or anything?”

“No, nothing like that. We’d just like to go over a few things, could you could drop by the station when you’re free?”

The station. The word seemed ominous but it was so casually spoken, Max didn’t know what to think.

“Yeah, I can drop by on my way back from work.”

“That’s great, just ask for Carl or Thomas.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

He hung up the phone and glanced up to see Sarah watching him closely, though her eyes snapped away almost immediately. Max was sure that everyone else in the office had been listening too. He might as well have the word _'guilty’_ stamped on his forehead.

The remaining three hours of work dragged for so long, it felt like time itself had stopped. Max stared at the one remaining shell on his desk - the first shell he’d ever received from Eiya. All the other trinkets had been stuffed out of sight in the bottom of his desk, but that large pink conch shell sat right where he’d left it, next to his monitor. Somehow, he couldn’t bear to part with it; it was a last reminder of those sunny days spent by the lake, when Max had begun to feel happiness for the first time in so long. When Eiya had been a source of comfort and delight. Now that all seemed so far away.

He was the first person to leave at five o clock, and no doubt the conversation exploded into life as soon as he departed. He could practically hear Sarah starting up a narrative about his earlier phone call, making wild elaborations and thrilling everyone with her useless talent for gossip. Never once had he cared about being an outsider, but just this once, Max wished that he could be part of the crowd.

*

The police station lay on the outskirts of town, around twenty minutes drive from Max’s countryside home. The narrow lanes became busy roads, fields giving way to overpopulated streets, and the young man felt the familiar growing agitation at being amidst a crowd of strangers. He parked next to a supermarket where shoppers filed in and out, the rush of people making Max walk quicker than usual, his head down as he crossed the street and rounded the corner.

It was only a small station, the building squat and nondescript, but to Max it might as well have been a towering fortress.

He entered into some kind of waiting area, a row of empty chairs lining the walls.

“Can I help you?” Asked the matronly woman behind the desk.

“Yeah, Max Harper, I’m here to see Carl? Or, uh, Thomas, if he’s not around?”

The receptionist obviously recognised his name, her expression darkening as soon as he said it. “One moment,” she informed him, picking up the phone.

His named was rattled off, a few words exchanged, and the woman hung up, smiling tightly. Carl appeared through the door just a few minutes later, holding it open.

“Max, why don’t you come on through.”

He followed the officer silently down a bleak corridor full of doors. They took the second one on the left, Carl ushering Max through into a small, square room containing an equally small, square table and two chairs.

“Have a seat,” Carl offered, and Max sat heavily. There was no two-way mirror like Max had expected, no tape recorder on the table, but it still seemed a lot like an interrogation room straight from the movies. The older man offered Max a coffee which he declined, despite his dry mouth.

“What can I do for you?” He prompted as Carl sat opposite.

“Yes, well. I’ll cut right to it, then - we’ve been speaking to everyone with close connections to Andrew and the consensus seems to be that the two of you didn’t get along. According to someone on your management team, Andrew was in the process of opposing your advancement in the company. We also have some witnesses who say that you accused Andrew of stealing your work and tampering with your computer.”

There was a pause, and Max didn’t know what was expected of him. He looked down at the grain of the table, his eyes blurring.

“How would you say your relationship was with Andrew?” Carl pressed.

Denying it seemed pointless. “We weren’t exactly friends,” he replied quietly.

Carl nodded. “What concerns me the most is a statement from someone who conversed with Andrew on the Friday prior to his disappearance. It seemed that he was intending to contact you privately regarding your recent disagreements. Could that be why he was trying to call you, perhaps?”

“I - I don’t know, I didn’t answer, remember?”

“Well, we can be almost certain at this point that he was trying to do just that. Since it was his last known act, we can only speculate what happened next.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just trying to get to the truth, Max. We traced your emails and they weren’t sent until Sunday evening, a full 9 hours after Andrew’s calls.”

Max was really starting to panic now. “Are you charging me with something? We didn’t get along, yeah, but I didn’t do anything to him, I swear.” Technically he wasn’t lying.

“I’ll be completely honest with you: there isn’t anything to charge you _for_. No actual evidence of a crime committed. I’m only telling you this because I don’t believe you had anything to do with it, so I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt - this investigation is only going to escalate, and everything is pointing in your direction. With the media awareness, it won’t take long for you to be drawn into the spotlight. I know that you don’t want that kind of negative attention so here are your options; either wait for us to gain a warrant, risking your own privacy and peace of mind, or allow us to discreetly perform a routine check _now_ and close this line of inquiry.”

“A check?”

“That’s right. It would involve a few specialists accessing your home for a just few hours, maybe even less, where they’ll look for any details that might help us with the case.”

“You want to…. Wait, do I need a lawyer?”

“If you feel like you need one. I’ll leave it to you - any misunderstanding can be easily cleared up by proving beyond reasonable doubt that Andrew was not at your property recently, as you claim.”

Carl’s tone was still kind, almost fatherly, but Max could sense the threat. To refuse would be to cast suspicion on himself. He thought about it, his mind going over everything - Andy had never actually entered Max’s house. There would be no finger prints, no blood stains to find, no record of violence anywhere. Nothing at all.

“It’s fine,” he agreed. “You can come and search, whatever you want. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Max.”

*******

It went exactly like Carl said it would. Max didn’t even have to take the day off work - the woman currently acting as his supervisor, Michelle, informed him that he was on suspended leave until the matter was cleared up. There seemed like less of a choice than ever when Carl and a small team of investigators showed up, invading his space and promising not to take up too much of his time.

Max stayed awkwardly out of the way, trying to act natural and probably failing miserably as people traipsed all over his home. He felt especially uneasy when one ventured into the porch next to the kitchen, eyes scanning the area where Andy’s bike had resided not too long ago. The young man’s hands wrapped around his middle as he leaned against the kitchen counter, determined not to watch.

“Sorry about the mess,” Carl said after a while, coming to lean next to him like they were old friends. “We shouldn’t be too much longer. We just need to take a few samples and that should be it.”

“Samples of what?” Max asked, immediately regretting the question.

“Oh, just fibres. Just a snippet of the carpet near the entrances, nothing noticeable.”

Max nodded while one of the others approached, a woman wearing latex gloves.

“Sir, the lake,” she said, an obvious implication in her tone.

“Ah, yes,” Carl replied, turning to look out of the kitchen window. “I suppose you’re right. There’s no sense in doing a search if we don’t include the grounds.”

They continued to talk, but it was background noise to Max; an annoying buzz that made his head thump as he struggled to think.

“You wouldn’t mind, I assume?”

The officers were looking at him expectantly.

“Huh?”

“It wouldn’t take long, just a sonar sweep. Then we’d be free to direct our investigation somewhere else.”

Max’s hesitation was beginning to look bad, he knew it, but he didn’t know what to say. Everything would literally be brought to the surface if they were to direct their attention towards the lake - and not just Andy’s fate, either, but Eiya himself. Strangely enough, it was the latter that upset Max the most.

“Not today, of course,” Carl prompted when Max remained silent. “The equipment is hefty and we’ll need to bring in a few more people, but this is a loose end that we really need to tie up. Otherwise, we can’t move on with the case, you understand?”

“I - yeah,” Max started, his mind still reeling.

“Good. I’ll get back to the office and make arrangements. Until then, I’d advise you not to approach the area.”

“W-wait, when will…”

“This is our top priority, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we were able to get it done as soon as tomorrow.”

It felt like everything was spiraling right out of Max’s control, and all he could do was nod helplessly.


	11. Chapter 11

The call came sometime later, informing Max that everything was organised for a search of the lake the next day. He thanked the policeman and hung up the phone with a resigned “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He’d already made a decision. Hours of sitting around, waiting by the phone had forced him to think hard, and no matter how he approached it the conclusion was always the same;  he couldn’t allow Eiya to get discovered. He pictured the merman lying on a slab in a laboratory somewhere, getting dissected while the whole thing got filmed, cameras flashing, reporters droning on about what a marvelous curiosity he was. Even the idea was painful. The solution seemed obvious - Max would probably end up in prison, sure, but it might only be 20 years or so. Maybe even less for good behaviour. If Eiya was found then he'd be in the spotlight for life, forced to suffer through all manner of things, unable to ever escape. Max couldn't let that happen.

It was beginning to get dark by the time the young man crossed the grass outside. Thick clouds roiled in the sky, blocking out the setting sun and casting a gloom over the lake.

Eiya was already there when Max reached the jetty, his head bobbing next to one of the wooden posts.

“You came back,” the merman breathed, such raw openness on his face that Max’s heart gave an aching throb.

“Hello, Eiya.”

“ _Hello_ ,” came the responding chirp. “I did as you said, did you see? No calling.”

Max remained on the bank, his hands jammed into his jeans pockets. “Yeah, I’m glad.”

Eiya beamed and hesitantly swam forward, a webbed hand coming up to steady himself on the next post. “Is it okay now?”

Max shook his head sadly, wishing that he had a better answer. “No, not really.”

The creatures face fell, the smile giving way to huge eyes and a furrowed brow. It reminded Max of a cat; the way a feline would kill a mouse and proudly present it to its master, utterly bewildered when it was punished for doing so.

“Look, Eiya - I can explain this to you, but right now there’s something I need you to do for me. Do you remember I came here not long ago with a bicycle? The metal thing with two wheels, the one I threw in the lake.”

Eiya gave an exaggerated nod.

“Great, I’m going to need you to find it. Along with… the bad man. Anything that’s left of the bad man.”

If it was hard to say then it would be a million times worse to see, but Max knew it couldn’t remain in the lake.

“No,” Eiya replied simply.

“…..What?” He’d been expecting a more helpful response.

“Can’t,” Eiya elaborated.

“Well… could you at least _try_? Trust me, this is important.”

Eiya shook his head. “Can’t be found,” he insisted.

Max was more than a little irritated by the lack of cooperation. “Fine. I don’t know why I’m even bothering with this,” he snapped, though he made no move to leave.

“I’m sorry.”

“Urgh, save it.” He let out a breath, trying to ignore the look on Eiya’s face. “Let’s just move on. There are some people coming to look at the lake tomorrow - .”

“People? Bad people?”

“ _No_ , no, not _bad_ people. Just people. You can’t just…never mind - you have to come with me. We’re going up to the house for a few days.”

“We both?”

“Uh, yeah. You have to stay out of sight, okay?”

“With you?”

“Yes. No - sort of. Come on, we need to go before it gets too dark.”

Eiya had that hopeful look on his face again, the water sloshing as he approached. He stopped near to the bank, his huge tail curling around and fanning out in the shallow water. “I want to go with you,” he insisted, as if Max might change his mind and leave without him.

“Just promise me something first,” the young man said, taking a step closer to the jetty.

“Yes, I promise,” Eiya nodded with finality.

“Wha - I haven’t even told you what it is yet. Are you listening?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, you need to promise me that you’ll do everything I say. I don’t want anyone finding you, and that means staying quiet and behaving.”

“Behave,” Eiya agreed.

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

That would have to do. Max stepped up onto the jetty and closed the short distance between him and Eiya, lowering himself to one knee and wondering how to go about this. There were easier ways to transport the merman, of course, but nothing that wouldn’t leave suspicious tracks in the grass for the police to see. The merman pushed against the lake bed and raised his face expectantly.

“I’ll need to carry you,” he told the creature in his most assertive tone. Eiya chirped and Max gestured with his hands. “Can you come up a bit more and…yeah, sit up here.”

He shuffled back and Eiya hopped up onto the wood, the tip of his tail still skimming the water below. Max had forgotten just how long it was. The merman was probably heavy.

“All right, put your arms up.”

Max was right. Eiya was like a dead weight. Max grunted with the effort, hoisting the merman up and using his shoulders to take the strain. He held the creature in a fireman’s lift, that long tail bumping against his chest, so huge that it would have reached the ground if Eiya hadn’t curled it up around Max’s leg.

The young man might be small, but he was also wiry and strong. He took a few steps and felt webbed fingers fist in his t-shirt, wet skin brushing against his neck as he walked. The grass was beginning to look grey in the dying light and Max tried his best to tread carefully, relying on his memories of past journeys to avoid any dips in the ground.

“Oh,” he heard Eiya say behind him, that tail squirming and bumping against his knees.

“Nearly there, just… stay still, will you,” Max protested, his spine aching under the pressure.

“Okay,” Eiya replied obediently, settling down again. “But it looks so small,” he continued when they reached the paving stones in front of the back porch.

“Huh? The lake?”

“Yes. Too small.”

Max got the door open and squeezed them both through, pushing against the frame to get momentum. “It’s just far away, Eiya. It’s still the same size.” The young man felt like his back was on fire, the weight on his shoulder pressing into him more with every step. “I’m gonna have to put you down for a minute,” he got out, and upended the merman on top of the tumble dryer.

“Ah!”

“Sorry,” he groaned, rubbing at his sore neck.

Eiya pushed himself up, nearly sliding right off the edge, and Max steadied him.

“Careful,” he muttered, guiding the merman to sit up properly. Pale arms immediately reached out to wrap around Max’s neck and the young man lurched back quickly. “Eiya, no. Not now, okay? Just give me a minute.”

“Oh.”

Max locked the back door and grabbed an old towel, throwing it down and using his foot to mop up any stray droplets of water. He tossed it on the laundry pile when he was done, turning to find Eiya looking around the room in apparent fascination. Those scarlet eyes eventually settled on him, and the merman looked even more interested than before.

“Oh…kay,” Max said awkwardly, stretching his back one more time. “Maybe we should get you upstairs now.”

Eiya reached out immediately, opening and closing his hands like a child begging to be carried. He made a happy clicking sound when Max leaned over again, placing the merman on the opposite shoulder and lifting.

The creature’s tail banged against the doorframe as they made their way into the living room, and Eiya squawked.

“Sorry,” Max uttered, and felt that tail tuck itself in more tightly.

They rounded the front hallway and the young man placed a hand on the banister, narrowing his eyes at the stairs. It was only by sheer force of will that he managed the first few steps, heaving them both up and trying not to trip over the merman’s trailing fluke.

“Fuck,” Max cursed, stumbling slightly as it bumped between his feet.

“Ah! Long way down…”

Eiya’s head dangled near the small of Max’s back, his hands suddenly wrapping tightly around Max’s middle and squeezing.

“Ngh, Eiya don’t do that - ack, I need to breathe!”

“ _Long way_ , don’t drop!”

He made it the rest of the way with webbed hands stretching his t-shirt, the slight fat above his waist getting grabbed and squished as Eiya whimpered. He gave an _“ouch_ , that _hurts,”_ though it went ignored, the merman getting more frantic as they reached the top.

“All right, calm down! Look, we’re there now.”

He staggered into the bathroom and lowered Eiya down into the tub, gently prying his hands away when the merman refused to let go.

“I didn’t like it,” Eiya informed him quickly.

“Yeah, I noticed.” There were little scratches on Max’s hips from where those fingers had dug in.

“It was too tall.”

“Well, it’s over now. All you have to do is stay here and everything will be fine.”

Max pulled the light cord to illuminate them properly. The artificial brightness made the blue tinge to Eiya’s skin stand out, the traceries of subtle veins snaking below the surface.

“We stay in here?” The merman chirped, sounding better now that the stairs were behind them.

“No - just you, I have my own bed to go to. Here, why don’t I put some water in. Do you want it warm or cold or…?”

He pushed in the plug, brushing up against scales as he did. The merman was almost dry now, though Max himself was still soaked, his t-shirt clinging to him uncomfortably.

“Not staying?” Eiya asked as Max turned on the tap.

“Not tonight, Eiya. Now tell me if it gets too warm, okay?”

The merman said nothing, his tail protruding out of the bath and leaning awkwardly up against the opposite wall. He waited until the tub was almost full before complaining that it was too hot.

“You were supposed to say!” Max let out some water and added more cold. “Is that better?”

“No.”

“…. Well, look… this one is the hot tap and this is the cold. You can add more if you want, but don’t over fill it.”

Eiya looked up through his lashes, giving Max a disarming look. “Stay?”

“Remember what we talked about. You agreed to do as I say, and I’m telling you that I have to go to bed now. There’s, uhhh, a toilet over here - you just lift the lid and… yeah. Goodnight, Eiya.”

Max left without another glance. He pulled the light switch and closed the door, navigating the hallway in darkness and finding his bedroom with ease.

His wet clothes hit the floor with a _‘thuck_ ’ and he crawled between the sheets. The house seemed so quiet - the merman was only separated from him by a single wall but he heard nothing at all, save for his own heartbeat.

Max reached over to set his alarm for 6am. He wasn’t sure what time the police would be arriving, but he wanted to make sure he was ready for them. Rain began to patter against the window as he laid there, his eyes closed, though his mind was wide awake. He wondered what Eiya was doing, and if he’d managed to get to sleep yet. He doubted it.

The loud splash that came a few minutes later was no real surprise.

There was a sloshing sound and then a thud, the door down the hallway creaking quietly. Max squeezed his eyes shut tighter, feeling terrified yet somehow satisfied at the same time. He’d left his own door wide open, like some kind of subconscious invitation, and he felt Eiya’s approach just as loudly as he heard it.

The dragging sound ceased just before the bed dipped next to him.

“I thought I told you to stay in there,” Max whispered, no real bite to the words.

“I _did_ ,” came the response.

“No you didn’t, that’s such a stupid lie.”

“Oh.”

“Urgh, you’re all wet.” Max leaned over to pluck a discarded shirt from the ground, using it to dab at Eiya’s tail. The merman had sprawled out over the bed covers, dark patches of water visible even through the gloom.

“Oops,” Eiya murmured, shaking his fluke and only succeeding in flicking water in Max’s face.

“Stop it,” the young man hissed, trying to shield his face with the t-shirt. “Here, just take this and dry yourself off.”

Eiya took the garment and rubbed at the same spot for a moment before dropping it. “I’m dry,” he declared.

Max was too tired to protest any more. “Fine, just get in and go to sleep.”

“Get in what?”

There was some wriggling around as Max tugged at the covers, guiding Eiya to lie between the sheets. The young man pushed the linen back into place and settled against his own pillow, suddenly very conscious of his lack of pyjamas. He lay there in just his boxer shorts, his breathing shallow, the rain picking up outside.

“Max?” Came the whisper next to him.

“Yes?”

“Is this okay?”

Something nudged against him and Max’s willpower faltered. He felt like an empty husk, deprived for too long of everything he so desperately wanted. The sudden closeness with Eiya was enough to tip him over the edge - it made him feel safe and loved and _comforted_ , and he had no defense against such an assault.

“ _Hello_ ,” murmured Eiya, his face pressing into Max’s shoulder.

“…Hi.”

The young man rolled over slowly, facing Eiya and tentatively bringing a hand to rest against his side. He could feel the merman’s ribs rising and falling with every breath, the skin feeling warmer than he remembered.

“I like it,” Eiya said quietly, their faces inches apart.

“I know. I do too. You understand why I was mad though, right? Maybe mad is the wrong word…”

Eiya ducked in to nuzzle against Max’s neck, shaking his head and rubbing his slightly-damp hair over the bare skin. “The bad man,” he mumbled after a moment.

“Yeah. Listen to me: it isn’t ever okay to hurt or kill another person. Ever.”

“But he wanted to hurt _you_ ,” Eiya protested, looking up.

“I get that - I know that you were only trying to protect me, but you can’t ever do anything like that again, okay? Promise me.”

“Can’t protect Max?”

“You know what I mean.”

Their eyes locked, and Eiya’s features seemed to blur together. “I won’t,” the merman said seriously. “No hurting, I promise. I’ll be good.”

Max gave a thin smile, feeling relieved. “….All right.”

Eiya seemed to take that as forgiveness, omitting a happy chirping sound and twisting his tail between Max’s legs. An arm dug underneath the young man, the other folding over him in an enthusiastic embrace. “Everything is okay now,” the merman cooed, stroking at Max’s back in clunky, unpractised motions.

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and savoured the feeling of closeness; of strong arms wrapping around him and another heart beating against his chest. “Go to sleep now, Eiya,” he whispered, and a wet kiss got planted on his cheek.

He didn’t have the heart to tell the merman that this was probably the last night they’d ever get to spend together.


	12. Chapter 12

Max woke to a series of frantic clicks and chirps, making him jump as the alarm buzzed in the background.

“Listen!” Eiya cried out, looking around as though he were under attack.

“Nnnn, it’s just the alarm,” Max grumbled, hitting the snooze button and rubbing at his abused ear.

“El arm?”

“Yeah, it just means I have to get up.” He yawned widely.

It hadn’t been easy for Max to get to sleep last night, the worry of his impending arrest mixing with his complicated feelings for Eiya. He’d listened to the merman’s breathing as it had evened out, Eiya's arms growing heavy and limp around him as the creature drifted off to sleep. Their bare chests pressed together, warmth passing between them as the rain hammered against Max’s bedroom window, and he came to the conclusion that he wasn’t angry at Eiya. The creature wasn’t evil or malicious - just protective. Max wished he’d realised that sooner.

He moved towards Eiya now, feeling groggy. “You okay?” He asked, touching the merman’s arm.

“No. Not get up,” came the pouty response.

Max trailed his fingertips right up to Eiya’s shoulder, his thumb stroking along the smattering of scales there. He could feel the thud of the merman’s pulse underneath.

“I have to,” he murmured reluctantly.

“Stay here?”

“I - urgh.” Max faltered as Eiya gazed up at him through sleep-messed hair. “Fine, then. Five more minutes.”

The merman grinned and wormed his way back into Max’s arms, forcibly lifting one of Max’s limbs and placing it around his middle. Max allowed himself to get manhandled, the bed creaking as Eiya wriggled around, eventually settling down when they were almost nose to nose.

“You done?” Max asked with amusement.

“Yes.”

The young man could feel Eiya’s tail shifting around his lower legs. It was dry now, the scales smooth; it reminded Max a little of a snake.

“How long can you stay out of the water for?" He asked curiously, trying to ignore the way Eiya’s fingers brushed along his waist.

Eiya shrugged. "However.”

“You don’t get too dry or anything?”

The merman’s head tilted in confusion. “ _Too_ dry? What is _too_ dry?”

“Uhhh, I don’t really know. Stuff that comes from the sea usually has to stay wet, so I didn’t know if…. ”

He trailed off; the merman’s gaze seemed to have shifted to Max’s mouth, and he seemed far too interested in what he saw.

“Um, so how do you breathe when you’re underwater?” Max asked quickly.

“Breathe?”

“Yes, breathe. Air going in and out, oxygen filling your lungs, you know?”

“Yes, I know. Am not _stupid_.”

The look Eiya gave him made Max laugh. It felt good to laugh. “Well, you _asked_.”

Instead of a response, Eiya grabbed Max’s fingers and brought them up to the side of his neck, just under his jawline. The skin there was so smooth, not a hint of stubble, and Max was about to comment on that when he felt the skin shift.

“Eurgh!” he squawked, instinctively trying to pull away.

“Why _‘eurgh_?’” The merman asked, seeming offended.

The skin under Max’s fingers had opened into slits. Three long gashes widened before closing up again, and it was only when Max’s horror started to fade that he realised what they were. Gills.

“Nothing, never mind. That’s actually kind of cool,” Max said, stroking back along the now-seamless skin.

Their eyes met as Max’s thumb traced Eiya’s jaw. He wanted to remember everything about the merman; how those webbed ears twitched sometimes, rising and falling with the creature’s emotions; how those full lips looked, slightly pink against the pallor of his skin.

“Eiya, I…”

It was like they were being drawn together, their faces inching in without Max even realising until their noses touched. Eiya’s fingers trailed up to spread over Max’s shoulderblades, his palm applying a slight pressure to pull the man towards him.

“Is it okay?” Eiya murmured, his voice not much more than a breath.

Max nodded, tilting his head so that his lips brushed against the merman’s. They were already parted in anticipation, slightly cooler than Max’s and so soft that it made the man’s eyes flutter shut.

The alarm suddenly buzzed from its place on the bedside table, cutting through the stillness like a knife. They jerked apart, Eiya chirping out a few frenzied syllables and turning his head, searching for the noise.

“Urgh, it’s just the alarm again,” Max said, reaching for it. He switched it off and sighed. “I really have to get up now.”

Eiya complained the entire time as Max extracted himself from the blankets. He grabbed some clothes out of a set of drawers in the corner, feeling self-conscious as those crimson eyes fixed on his nearly nude form.

“I’ll be right back,” he told the merman, holding the bundle of clothes to him as he made his way through the hallway and into the bathroom.

The floor was still slightly wet from last night, though the bathtub seemed to be empty, the plug tossed aside. Max threw a towel down and trod on it, stripping off his boxer shorts and washing quickly, dressing in a loose burgundy t-shirt and black jeans. He half-heartedly tried to tame his messy hair before giving up and tossing the towel and yesterday’s underwear into the laundry bin.

Eiya had somehow managed to roll himself up in the blankets when Max returned to the bedroom.

“Uh…Did you want to stay in here?” Max asked when the merman didn’t move.

The covers stirred. “Mmmm, we both stay here.”

“No, I can’t. Listen - there are some important things I need to say.”

Max perched on the side of the bed, placing his hand on that mound of blankets. He could just see the top of Eiya’s face peeking out, two large eyes blinking up at him.

His apprehension must have been obvious, the merman picking up on it immediately. “What is it?” Eiya questioned, his ears flattening to his head.

“Remember when you promised that you’d do whatever I asked?”

Eiya nodded, his webbed fingers wrapping around the top of the blankets and pushing them away from his face.

“Well, like I said yesterday - there are going to be some people looking around the lake, and I need you to stay hidden. That means you’ve got to be really quiet until they’ve gone - even if they come into the house, if they sound angry, anything. You can only go back to the lake when you’re sure nobody else is here, okay?”

“Max?”

The man tried to smile reassuringly. “It’ll all be okay. Just do that for me, yeah?”

Eiya nodded, much to Max’s relief.

“Great. So where do you want to stay today? In here?”

“Can’t you stay too?”

Eiya shuffled around, worming his way up so that he could reach for Max.

“I told you, I can’t. I need to talk to the people and make sure they don’t find you. So, where do you want to go?” He took Eiya’s extended hand and held it in his, that webbed membrane feeling so delicate and fragile.

“Water,” the merman said, looking down at the bed sheets.

“The bathroom? I thought you said you didn’t need to keep wet.”

“I like it,” he replied with a shrug.

“No, that’s okay. Just don’t splash around too loud or anything, yeah?”

“I don’t splash.”

“Sure you don’t. Now stop sulking, it’s going to be fine.”

Max leaned down and ran his fingers through Eiya’s hair, brushing it behind his ear. The merman looked up through long lashes.

“ _Hello_ ,” he chirped quietly, leaning his face against Max’s hand.

“Uh, yeah hi. Come on, let’s get you back in the bathroom.”

“Okay.”

***

Max spent the rest of the morning cleaning the house. With Eiya back in the bathtub, he went around every room checking for leftover water, tidying up as he went. When he was done he made a few rounds of toast, setting them on two plates. Eiya hadn’t seemed to enjoy coffee when he’d tried some in the past, so he made him a cup of tea instead.

He made his way upstairs and hovered outside the bathroom door.

“Eiya? Can I come in?”

There was no reply.

“Eiya it’s just me, there’s no one else here yet.”

“Oh. Okay then.”

Max used his hip to bump open the door. Eiya was lead in the full tub that took up the left wall, his arm hanging over the side, damp hair spread over the white ceramic.

“Hey, I brought you some breakfast,” Max offered, raising the plate.

Eiya made a happy chirp and sat up, taking half the toast right off the plate and stuffing it in his mouth.

Max watched as he tried to chew it all at once, crumbs falling into the water. “Wow. You’re so elegant,” he said tonelessly.

Somehow, the merman managed to swallow it all without choking. “Is it more?” He asked, peering with interest at the plate.

“Yes, but this time eat it slower. You’re supposed to take small bites, not just shove it all in.”

Eiya seemed happy to eat the rest of the toast at a measured pace, taking tiny little bites like a bird. Max watched him with amusement for a moment before setting the cup of tea on the side of the bath.

“You can drink this if you want, it’s tea. I have to go now but I’ll check on you again if I can. You did good to stay quiet before, just keep doing that.”

Eiya smiled at the praise and let Max go without a fuss. The young man took the empty plate back down to the kitchen and washed it up before eating his own cold toast, gazing out of the window down at the lake.

There were still a few clouds, but it was sunny, the light glinting off of the wet grass after last night’s downpour. It reminded Max of that morning a few weeks ago, when Andy had come to the house. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.

The crunch of gravel alerted Max to the arrival of a car. He looked around quickly to make sure that everything was where it was supposed to be, no idea what he was actually checking for. By the time the doorbell rang his heart was beating fast, nervous adrenaline surging through him.

He took a deep breath, making his way through the house and thinking of Eiya.

“Good morning,” he said, opening the front door. He almost sounded normal.

“Ah, you must be Max?”

It was a young woman, official-looking with thick glasses and blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wasn’t wearing the traditional police uniform but navy coloured trousers and a smart jacket with a badge clipped to the front.

“Yeah, I’m Max.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said, holding out a hand. “I’m Imogen Ross, I’ll be leading the search today. I’d just like to get a few signatures from you before we start…”

She droned on, explaining some of the procedure, but Max’s eyes were drawn to the van pulling up next to the car that Imogen had arrived in.

“What’s that?” He asked as she passed him a pen.

“Just some of our equipment,” she replied, looking over. “There’s more to come. Do we have your permission to take the vehicles onto the field? It’d be a help if we could get closer.”

Max just nodded, his stomach twisting as he signed something on a clipboard and passed it back.

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

***

Carl arrived sometime later, venturing into Max’s living room and calling out a warm “ _hello_!” The young man had left his front door open, offering drinks to the five people that were working down at the lake and letting them use the small downstairs lavatory next to the stairs. Luckily nobody had tried to intrude any further than that.

“How are things going?” Carl asked him, graciously accepting a cup of coffee.

“Uhh, in general or with the search?”

Carl smiled. “I meant with you. It must be quite a strain, having your privacy invaded, your job disrupted… ”

“Oh. Yeah, getting suspended wasn’t exactly great.” He shrugged, feeling awkward. “It’s all right, I’ll be fine.”

“Well, our progress here should sort everything out. I’ll go down and see how everyone’s getting on.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Max was left to wait anxiously in the living room. So far, Eiya had been true to his word and stayed silent, though Max could never quite be sure how long that would continue. He paced back and forth to the kitchen, peering out of the window every so often, though the van blocked most of his view. People seemed to be busy, but he hadn’t heard any alarmed shouts yet, no one running towards him with handcuffs.

Carl reappeared at the door a few hours later. Max held his breath, waiting for the news.

“We’re just breaking for lunch,” was all the policeman said. His expression seemed the same as ever.

“Oh, okay. Is there anything I can do?”

“I just need you to remain away from the site. We won’t be long, would you like us to pick anything up from town?”

Max shook his head. “No. Thanks though.”

“Well, we’ll be back around two.”

“Okay. See you then.”

A few of the officers left in the police car, but Imogen wasn’t among them. Max guessed that she was still busy down by the lake, and he tried not to let his imagination wander as he returned to the kitchen. He made a hurried sandwich and grabbed a small bottle of coke from the fridge before taking it upstairs and knocking on the bathroom door.

“Eiya - it’s me, Max. I’m coming in.”

The merman was mostly submerged when Max entered, his nose and mouth completely under the water. Max could see the dark gashes of the gills on Eiya’s neck.

“Are you hungry?” He asked as Eiya sat up, his skin smooth again when he reached the air.

“Yes. Are the people gone?”

“Only for a while. I can’t stay long,” Max replied, setting the coke down and picking up the half-empty mug of tea. “They’ll be back, so you have to carry on being quiet. You’re doing really well so far.”

“I did good?”

“Yeah. Here, remember to eat this slowly.”

He offered the plate and Eiya looked at the sandwich, hesitantly lifting the top slice of bread.

“No, that’s not - look, you pick it all up together, like this -”

Max set the mug and plate on the floor, rearranging the sandwich and offering it to Eiya. Instead of taking it from him, the merman simply leaned forward and opened his mouth wide.

“Ohhh…kay,” the young man said, unable to keep from smiling in bemusement as he held the food steady. Eiya took a small bite and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, apparently deciding that it was good and leaning back in for another bite.

He ate the entire thing like that, licking at Max’s fingers when he was done.

“Ah, that’s enough.” Max pulled away and put some space between them, picking up the mug and plate again. “I have to go now, okay?”

“Nooo, not yet.”

“Come on, don’t do this,” Max urged softly. “Just stay in here, it’s not for much longer. Please?”

Eiya’s shoulders sagged and he nodded. “Okay.”

“Thank you.”

Max took one last lingering look at the merman before closing the door, balancing the mug on the plate and rounding the hallway into the stairwell.

Imogen was waiting for him at the bottom.

“Did I interrupt something?” She asked, peering up at him curiously.

Max felt like a deer caught in headlights. “What? Oh, no, I was just on the phone. Doing some tidying,” he said, raising the plate. “Can I help?”

The excuse seemed to work. “I just wanted to use the bathroom,” she replied.

“It’s to your right,” Max told her obligingly, standing on the stairs and blocking her way. “Do you want a drink? I can make you some tea?”

It was close - any longer and she might have gone looking for the source of the voices. Max mentally kicked himself as he went to put the kettle on, resolving to stay downstairs for the remainder of the search, and it wasn’t long before Carl and the others returned. They were early.

“Got you something,” the policeman said, holding up a brown paper bag. “I know, I know, you didn’t want anything, but you really need to eat.”

Max automatically took the bag, finding a wrapped burger and fries inside.

“Hey, thanks,” he said, surprised.

“Not a problem. Well, let’s get these last few hours over with.”

“Yeah, sure.”

***

It was early evening when the inevitable happened. Max was sat on the sofa in front of a blank television, his legs tucked under him and a cold cup coffee sitting neglected on the table. He’d heard nothing all afternoon, only the monotone of background noise, but the voices were picking up. Max tensed expectantly, though he didn’t move from his spot.

Footsteps could be heard trudging up to his door. It was still open, and nobody stopped to knock.

“Max?” Carl was the first to enter the living room.“Ah, he’s in here,” he called out.

Imogen appeared behind him, followed by another woman that Max hadn’t officially met.

“Everything okay?” Max asked. He felt like he was reading off of a script, a strange detachment to the whole scene.

“Actually Max, we’ve found something. An unidentified mass.”

Max nodded, noting that Carl’s normally friendly expression had turned into something else. It wasn’t anger, as Max had predicted - it was more like disappointment.

“We’re in a difficult position now,” the policeman continued. “The object is lodged, meaning we’ll need some heavier equipment to extract it. Since we don’t know what it is, there’s no grounds to make an arrest. All we can do is set up a surveillance of the area and strongly advise that you don’t interfere with anything. Any approach of the site could be used as evidence against you.”

Max’s eyes didn’t quite meet anyone else’s as he replied. “So… what are you saying?”

Imogen stepped forward. “We’ll be returning tomorrow with a mobile crane. We can’t remove you from your home, but the area’s been marked. You aren’t to cross the line until we’ve completed the procedure.”

“Line?”

“Police tape,” Carl clarified.

“Oh. Right.”

“Thank you for your co-operation,” Carl nodded, no sign of a smile on his face. “We’ll be leaving to arrange things, but some of the vehicles will need to stay here overnight. See you in the morning, Max.”

“Okay. See you then.”

The officers filed out slowly, a serious tone settling around them. Max could see the yellow tape in the distance, the large white van remaining after everyone had left. Max eventually closed the front door and locked it, the 'click’ sounding loud in the silence of the house.

They wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. He had the whole night ahead of him, another night of freedom that he hadn’t expected. Max tried to push all other thoughts to the back of his mind as he contemplated what he’d like to do with his remaining time, but it didn’t take him long to realise; everything he wanted was right here, waiting for him in the upstairs bathroom.


	13. Chapter 13

Max was quick to make it to the top of the stairs, his feet thudding softly on the carpet. He paused when he reached the bathroom door.

“Eiya?” He called out, raising a hand to knock gently on the dark wood. “Everybody’s gone now. Can I come in?”

“Ma-ax,” came the reply, slightly muffled but no less enthusiastic.

The young man took that as a _‘yes’_. He pushed on the handle and swung the door inwards, finding Eiya practically hanging over the side of the bath.

Max took two steps into the room. “Hey, you did great today -” he started to say, but Eiya shot out a hand to reach for Max’s t-shirt, pulling at it and catching the man off balance. Max threw out his arm and caught himself on the wall.

“Oh - oops,” Eiya said sheepishly, looking genuinely surprised at his own strength.

“Ahhh, are you trying to kill me?” Max grumbled, though the words immediately brought Andy to mind.

Eiya didn’t seem to notice Max’s discomfort. “No,” he insisted matter-of-factly. 

“Good to know.”

“Just wanted you closer.”

“Well, I’m definitely closer now, is that better?”

The young man straightened up and his apprehension melted at the obvious delight on Eiya’s face.

“Yes! Better than before, when you were gone.”

“Yeah, well - sorry it took so long. Uh, what were you doing?”

Max noticed the bottles floating in the water, the lids open and some of their contents smeared next to the tap.

“This one smells like you,” Eiya informed him, poking at a bottle of shower gel. It wasn’t an expensive brand, but it had a vaguely woody scent that Max liked.

“Well that’s good, I guess.”

“Yes, good,” the merman agreed. He picked the bottle up and squeezed, causing more gel to dribble down the side.

“Look, you’re getting it everywhere,” said Max, confiscating it. He reached into the bath to scoop up the shampoo bottle and took in a breath. “Ah, the water’s freezing! Aren’t you cold? Here, I’ll put some more warm in.”

The pipes groaned softly as hot water streamed in, and Eiya closed his eyes and hummed contentedly. White, frothy bubbles began to form under the tap, and the smell of the shower gel filled the room.

“Hah, it looks like you’re having a bubble bath,” Max observed. He dipped his fingers in and stirred up the water, brushing against Eiya’s tail.

“Bubble? Oh!” The merman’s face lit up when he noticed the froth. “This is bubble?”

“Yeah, bubbles. Watch -”

He scooped up a handful and raised it to his face, blowing gently to let the pieces of foam float down around Eiya. The creature’s eyes were wide as he watched them fall, and he chittered excitedly as Max reached for more.

“You like them? Here, hold out your hand.”

Eiya did it hesitantly, as if the bubbles might bite him. He spread his fingers and stretched the webbing, offering his hand up to Max and jumping when the mound of white froth got placed on his palm.

“Oooh,” he cooed when it became obvious that he was safe. The merman poked at it with his other hand, hunching over and inspecting it more closely. He blew on it, just like Max had done, and chirped with delight when the bubbles flew up and fell around him like snow. He hurriedly scooped up some more and tried to squeeze them tightly in his fist, opening his hand again with a surprised “oh, where’d it go??”

Max’s lips twitched in amusement as he watched. Eiya just seemed so innocent sometimes; his face was open and honest and beautiful, the kind of expression that Max didn’t usually see on most adults. It made him wonder about Eiya’s past, and he realised that he barely knew anything about the merman’s life.

The water level was getting dangerously high by this point, so Max turned off the tap. At least it was warmer now, the bubbles covering the entire surface.

“I used to like bubble baths too,” Max said, almost to himself. He reached over for the shampoo and popped open the lid. “When I was really young my Mom would wash my hair and tell me stories. Lean back -”

Eiya looked up at him curiously. “Like this?”

Max guided him with a finger under his chin, tilting the merman’s head. “That’s it. I’m going to rub this into your hair now, okay?”

“Okay,” Eiya agreed happily. “What does that mean?”

“Hah. Nothing scary, I promise.”

The merman’s hair was already wet, so Max squeezed a dollop of shampoo right onto Eiya’s head. He set down the bottle and threaded his fingers through the dark strands, massaging it in.

“Oh, it’s nice,” Eiya informed him, pushing his head back against Max’s fingers.

“Good.” Max liked how it felt, being this close to Eiya again. His hair was surprisingly soft, webbed ears twitching as Max’s fingers brushed behind them. He cleared his throat nervously. “So… what about _your_ parents?”

“Mine?”

“Yeah, where are they?”

Eiya shrugged. “The deep,” he said casually.

“Huh? The deep, what’s that?”

A webbed hand came up, opening and closing as the merman tried to explain. “The _deep_ ,” was all he managed.

“Is that where you came from? Before the lake, I mean.”

Eiya nodded, sending droplets of frothy shampoo flying.

“So…how did you get into the lake?” Max asked curiously.

The merman’s shoulders suddenly tensed. “Ow!” Eiya cried out, his hands flying to his face. “Ow, burning, burning.”

He clicked out a few more syllables and Max leaned over to look at him. The creature’s eyes were squeezed shut, a trail of shampoo running down his forehead.

“Oh, you got some in your eye. It’s okay, I can fix it.” Max hurriedly swilled his soapy hands in the water before reaching for a towel, running part of it under the cold tap. “Come here, let me see.”

Eiya lowered his hands trustingly and Max dabbed at his eyelids, gently rubbing away the suds. He reached for the jug behind the tap, dipping it in the bath water and carefully rinsing the shampoo from Eiya’s hair. He blotted at the merman’s face again when he was done. “You might have to blink a bit. That’s it - any better?”

“Ahh, I can’t see. What is the word for that?”

“Blind?”

“Yes, that.”

Max grinned at the merman’s dramatics. “No you aren’t, you just need to open your eyes.”

Eiya squinted up at him cautiously and Max wiped beneath his lower lashes, a delicate motion that Eiya allowed without flinching.

“Hmmm, this one looks a bit sore but I think you’re okay. Has it stopped hurting?”

Eiya nodded slowly, opening his eyes up properly and looking right back at Max. The creature’s iris’s were such an unusual colour, Max found it fascinating to see them up this close. The pupils were surrounded by a deep crimson, with fractures of garnet shot out from it, so many vivid shades complementing each other, all ringed by a red so dark that it looked almost black. The effect was stunning.

“You have pretty eyes,” Eiya said, mirroring Max’s thoughts.

There was a flush on both of their faces. “Oh, so I - I guess you aren’t blind then,” Max stammered.

The merman tilted his head. “They look like green. It’s nice.”

Max could feel his pulse picking up. “…I like yours, too,” he murmured.

There was a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, a stillness settling around them. Eiya was the one to break it, his voice hesitant. “I want…” He whispered, reaching up to trace wet fingers along Max’s lower lip. “I want…”

It was all he needed to say. Max closed the remaining distance and pressed his mouth against Eiya’s, feeling the merman hum contentedly against his lips. He dipped his head and dropped his jaw, coaxing Eiya’s lips to part, and the merman responded so enthusiastically that their teeth clacked together.

“Mmmm,” Max breathed, pushing his tongue forward and loving the taste of Eiya. He’d missed everything about this; from the merman’s clumsy, desperate motions to the way he tried to pull Max closer, even when there was no space left between them.

Max carefully mapped out the tiny bumps of Eiya’s tastebuds while the merman nudged forward, rising up and yanking on Max as if he wanted to merge their faces together. For the second time that day Max was caught off balance; he wasn’t expecting the harsh tug on his shoulders, and his knees banged against the bathtub as he tried to grab for something. One hand met Eiya’s chest as he toppled forward, though the creature offered no resistance - he pulled Max down with him, an embarrassing squeak coming from the man right before the inevitable splash.

“Nnnnnng,” Max complained, his legs kicking uselessly in the air. The hard ridge of the bathtub was digging into his waist, his chest and arms soaked. Eiya had slid back, submerging himself to make room.

“Oops,” he said with a wide grin.

Since Max was already wet, he didn’t think twice about climbing in the rest of the way, water spilling over the top of the bath as he seated himself on Eiya’s lap.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?”

Eiya sat up and pressed their chests together, a webbed hand creeping underneath Max’s t-shirt to rest against the small of his back. “You blinded me,” he said reasonably.

“I did _not_ ,” Max protested, but he found it hard to think straight when Eiya started to kiss the bottom of his jaw.

Soft lips dragged up to his ear, and the merman’s breathing sounded loud as he took the lobe into his mouth. It was making Max’s dick hard; not the semi-hard that he already was from kissing, but the kind of rigid that he usually got after teasing himself for a long time. His wet jeans were squeezing his cock against his leg, and Max moaned as Eiya started to lick at his neck. That clever tongue flicked out and sent a jolt of electricity shooting right down his belly.

“Fuck, where did you learn to do _that_? Urh, never mind. Maybe we should stop…”

“Nnn - no.”

Max distinctly heard the merman smell him, his nose buried in Max’s hairline, and it turned him on even more.

“Eiya, this is making me… um…” He didn’t know how to explain how aroused he was without scaring him. He settled for a deep moan, wriggling on the merman’s lap, and Eiya pulled back with a gasp. “Yeah, sorry…” Max said, feeling slightly ashamed when he noticed the shocked expression on Eiya’s face.

“Ah, nonono,” Eiya muttered, his pupils large and dark. His tail thrashed in apparent discomfort, fluke slapping up against the opposite wall.

“Shall I get off? I mean - shall I get out?”

“No!” Eiya said, grabbing for Max and holding him there.

“What do you want, then?”

“I… I want…”

Max shuffled back and Eiya made a broken whine, looking down at the line of their bodies. Max followed his gaze, but saw only bubbles and rippling water.

“What is it?”

The man placed a hand on Eiya’s chest and trailed down, watching his expression closely. When he got to the merman’s belly he felt the muscles tense, a tremor running through Eiya’s entire body. Max’s fingers met scales, right before they brushed over the tip of something stiff and smooth.

Eiya clicked out a few words in his own language, his face turning to the side in embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Max told him, trying not to sound too eager. “Me too. See?”

He grabbed Eiya’s hand and boldly placed it right over his crotch, letting him feel the hardness underneath. Max’s erection twitched, and Eiya looked back at him in surprise.

“ _Oh_.”

“Mmm, that feels nice.”

He rutted against Eiya’s hand and watched the merman’s apprehension start to fade. It was replaced with definite interest.

“That’s you?” Eiya asked, squeezing the shape of Max’s dick curiously, as if he didn’t think it was real.

“It’s me, yeah.”

Eiya traced the outline without even realising how much it was teasing Max. To distract himself, Max dipped his own hand back down to play with the tip of Eiya’s cock, reminding himself of the feel of it. He glanced down at the water again and tried to move the bubbles with his elbow, wishing he could see it properly, but all he caught was a glimpse of pink before the foam took over again. Disappointed, he gripped Eiya’s erection more firmly and the merman gasped, his mouth hanging open.

“God, you look so good like this,” Max told him, loving how warm and slippery that shaft felt. It seemed to lengthen even more, sliding through his hand, and Max couldn’t take it. His cock was aching so bad. “Ah, can I take these off?” He asked hopefully, sitting back and brushing his thumb against his jeans. Eiya nodded, and Max hasitly got to work on his fly.

While most of Eiya was hidden beneath the bubbles, Max was kneeling with his waist just below the surface. When he shoved the front of his jeans and boxers down, the swollen head of his cock bobbed up above the water, in full view of the merman.

Crimson eyes widened at the sight, and Eiya reached for it slowly. Max looked down and watched as his pale fingers wrapped around the stiff length, and he had to look away again quickly.

“G-go slow,” he murmured as Eiya ran a finger along his slit. Just from the slippery feel of it, he knew how much pre-come he was leaking.

“Like this?” Eiya questioned, and dragged languidly down to Max’s frenulum. He explored the stretched membrane, moving it back and forth before circling around the ridge of Max’s glans.

“Ngh, fuck, how are you so good at this?” Max grimaced. He could feel his scrotum drawing tight already, pleasure shooting down his cock and numbing his abdomen.

“I am?”

“Yeah, _ah_. Come here.”

He leaned in and went for Eiya’s mouth, kissing him hard. The merman seemed to lose all concentration, his hand resting motionless against Max’s cock as their tongues battled for dominance. It was messy, saliva smearing all over their lips, and Max loved it. He spread his palm against Eiya’s chest to feel a rapid heartbeat before raking his nails down over the bump of a nipple.

“ _Mmm_!” Eiya got out, but the sound was swallowed up as Max continued the kiss. He couldn’t help but move, squirming his hips and tilting forward, seeking any kind of friction.

Eiya’s hand dropped away to grip his waist, and Max’s cock met cool, smooth scales. The man’s free hand dipped between them and found the place where Eiya’s erection jutted out, and he adjusted himself until both of their organs rubbed up against each other.

Their lips separated as Eiya mewled, a soft noise that seemed wrenched from him. His tail undulated sinuously and their dicks slid alongside each other, held in place by Max’s hand. He squeezed them together, feeling just how large the merman’s shaft was - bigger than his own, and just as thick. One of their erections twitched, and Max wasn’t even sure whether it was his or Eiya’s.

“F-fuck. What does that feel like?” Max breathed, his forehead falling against Eiya’s shoulder.

“Good - warm, good,” Eiya told him in a weak voice. Both of the merman’s hands were on Max’s hips now, instinct taking over as they moved together. Webbed fingers splayed right over Max’s backside and it spurred them both on, making Max’s back arch as he pressed for more.

“ _Yeah_ ,” the man moaned when Eiya groped his rear with more force. He felt the creature’s fingers tighten, roughly kneading his cheeks, and he bit down on Eiya’s shoulder to stop from crying out.

“Ahhh, this - I like this.” Eiya squeezed him again to show the man exactly what he meant. His hips stuttered and their cocks ground together, both of them straining against Max’s hand.

He moaned into the merman’s shoulder, running his tongue all over the scales there and tasting soap and something else. Something distinctly masculine. The bath water sloshed over the side as he started to hump harder, the head of his cock dragging easily over Eiya’s slick length.

The merman bucked, shoving his dick against Max’s palm. It felt so solid, the steady pulse of it mirrored by their movements. Both of them thrust together and found a satisfying rhythm, Eiya gasping and clicking, his eyes closing tight. Max turned his head to watch him, feeling a thrill at the raw pleasure on the merman’s face. His expression was drawn tight, almost agonised, and it made Max pant harder as he rubbed their erections with more purpose.

“I want you to come,” He groaned, feeling the pressure building between them. He slowed down to try and delay it, letting his fingers brush over the tip of Eiya’s cock. “Fuck, I’m so…. _ah_ , can you come? I’m close.”

“C-close,” Eiya parroted mindlessly, his fingers digging into Max’s skin. His tail jerked and he whined, chittering out a few syllables before switching back to English. “Please?”

“Fuck, I can’t hold it.” Max so badly wanted to wait for Eiya, but he could already feel the come filling up his shaft, even as he tried to stop his erratic movements. It was no use - the merman was writhing under him, their cocks sliding together, and Max’s orgasm hung right on the edge. “ _Fuck_ , _fuck_ ,” he gasped, grinding his teeth and feeling his dick give a strong thump.

“Ahhh, _please_ ,” Eiya begged desperately, the word sounding almost like a sob. His whole body tensed, and Max felt his control slip.

“ _Yes_ ,” he moaned, voice barely audible, and he rocked his hips forward. That last shove had him crying out, his vision growing black as his pleasure spiked.

Bottles were knocked from the side, water going everywhere as Eiya’s tail thrashed, but all Max could focus on was the come shooting into the bath water. He could feel it hitting his fingers, his dick pulsing with every squirt. Eiya keened and shuddered underneath him and suddenly he was being pulled down, his face mashing against the merman’s chest even as more fluid spurted between them.

Max felt Eiya’s cock twitch and he gave a shaky, exhilarated laugh, lifting his head and hastily wiping at the patch of drool he’d left behind.

“You came,” he stated with a grin.

Eiya had gone completely boneless, sagging back against the tub, his mouth still half-open in bliss. Max noticed that the bubbles had mostly disappeared, though globs of sperm now floated like pearls in the water. He shifted his hand and watched as it drifted around.

“No,” Eiya replied stubbornly, though the satisfaction on his face said otherwise. His cheeks were pink, lips even pinker, and Max’s chest felt tight from just looking at him.

“Yes you did, don’t lie.”

The merman changed tactic. “Was I supposed to?” He asked instead, his eyes big and round in his pretty face.

"Yes."

"Oh. Yes, then."

Max couldn’t help himself; he leaned in and kissed the merman right on the lips, hardly even caring about the messy bath water or the way his wet jeans clung to him. Eiya kissed him back, his webbed hands resting weakly on Max’s knees. It was slow and soft and full of all the emotion that Max couldn’t bring himself to say out loud.

“So….what do you want to do now?” The man eventually whispered, and Eiya smiled back happily.


	14. Chapter 14

They decided on a movie – or at least, Max decided. Eiya would much rather have stayed in the bathtub, his webbed hands roaming and stroking every part of Max that they could reach, but the water was getting cold.

“Didn’t you like the film we watched last time?” Max asked, trying to sound convincing. He was only halfway out of the tub, the water pulling at his sodden clothes almost as much as Eiya was.

“No.”

“Yes you did, I remember you making all these noises. Hey, let go of my leg.”

Max shook Eiya off, the water streaming from his jeans. His feet hit the tiled bathroom floor with a squelch, and Eiya cooed sadly.

“Awh, come on, it’s not all bad,” Max said, and he started to peel his wet clothes off.

His jeans were already open and they fell to the ground easily, followed by his shirt. He didn’t look at Eiya, preferring to stare at the growing puddle on the ground, but he could hear Eiya’s loud breathing.

“So, uh, I’m just gonna find something to wear,” Max said. He could feel his damp skin prickling in the cool air. “If you change your mind about the movie then you can… Uh, I’ll be back in a minute.”

He risked a glance at Eiya and the merman’s scarlet eyes were fixed on Max’s body, staring at him with such intensity that Max shied away, reaching for a towel. Nobody had ever looked at him like that before– as if there was nothing else in the whole world that mattered more than him. It made him feel naked in more ways than one, every part of him laid bare. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and it left a dull ache in Max’s chest.

He looked away, wrapping the towel around his waist. “I won’t be long,” he muttered, ignoring Eiya’s disappointed whine. His heart was still pounding as he headed out of the bathroom in search of some dry clothes.

*

A pair of sweatpants and a plain black t shirt later, Max was trying to tame his messy hair when he heard a thud. He sighed.

“I _said_ I’d be right back,” he called out. He could see Eiya dragging himself along the hallway out of the corner of his eye. The merman looked like something out of a horror movie – wet, dark hair hanging in front of his face, long tail thrashing behind him as he pulled himself along.

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya chirped happily.

Max snorted. “Wrong way. We’re going downstairs.”

“Downstairs?”                                              

“Yeah.” He gave up on his hair and made his way over to Eiya. “We can watch something on the TV. I’m not carrying you this time, though.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re heavy, fatass, come on.” Max sidestepped Eiya and looked over his shoulder when he reached the top of the stairs. “You coming or what?

Eiya seemed to consider for a moment. His eyebrows drew together in puzzlement and he mouthed the word ‘ _fatass,’_ but he soon gave up and squirmed closer to where Max stood. He left a wet trail behind him, like a slug.

“Eurgh, you’re soaked.” Max hopped over the merman’s tail and picked out a fresh towel from the bathroom. He came back and slung it over Eiya’s head, bending over to rub at the shiny locks of wet hair.

Eiya squawked and tried to bat him away.

“Stop it, I’m only trying to dry you,” Max clarified, massaging Eiya’s hair until it stuck out all over the place. He ran his fingers through it after, and the silky strands combed through easily.

The merman was easily placated. “Okay,” he said, sitting patiently through the rest of Max’s ministrations. He even made a few chirping purring sounds while Max dried his back, leaning right forward with a look of pure bliss on his face. Max slowly dragged the towel down to the base of his spine, where skin turned into scales. “Niiice,” Eiya said languidly.

A smile quirked Max’s lips. “I’m glad you like it so much.” He moved on to Eiya’s tail, gently dabbing all the way down to the fluke. He could see so many colours in it from this close – not just blue, but turquoise and hints of jade too. It flexed as he watched, curling and catching the light, and the specks of colour seemed to shine.

“You are staring,” Eiya informed him. He was grinning.

“Am not.” Max straightened up and slung the towel over the bannister. He looked down at Eiya, who was mostly dry now. That grin was infectious - Max found himself trying not to laugh as he took a few steps down the stairs and held out his hand. “Come on - let’s try this again.”

*

It actually wasn’t that difficult to get Eiya to the bottom of the stairs. When Max started walking, Eiya naturally followed, using his arms and backside to shuffle down one step at a time. They reached the bottom and Eiya chittered something victorious in his own language, reaching towards Max.

“Yeah, well done,” Max said, amused.

Eiya only grew more persistant, closing and unclosing his hands until Max gave in.

“Fine, I’ll carry you. But only to the living room.” He leaned into the merman’s open arms and felt them lock around his neck before he straightened up, holding Eiya close against his chest. “Urgh, I forgot how heavy you are,” he groaned.

“Fatass,” Eiya told him, wiggling his tail.

Max gave a genuine laugh, his shoulders shaking.

“ _What_?”

“N-nothing, just stop squirming. I’m serious, I’ll drop you.”

Max took a few quick steps to the living room, trying not to bump Eiya against the door frame this time. He successfully navigated his way to the sofa and dropped Eiya down, letting him bounce on the cushions.

“Ouch,” Eiya complained happily.

“Hah. Move over.”

Max collapsed down next to him and reached for the remote on the coffee table.

“Now what?” Eiya asked, tucking his tail around himself and leaning against Max. The way he pressed made Max think of a giant cat, nuzzling in for warmth.

“Now we find something to watch. What kind of thing do you want?”

The TV blared to life and Eiya jerked back. He squeezed Max’s elbow as a noisy car show lit up the screen, and Max quickly turned the sound down.

“Whoa, it’s okay. This is just like the stuff we watched before, just with a bigger screen. See?”

He flicked through the channels, from a music show to a sitcom to a programme about decorating houses.

“There’s so _much_ ,” Eiya said, awed.

Max thought about it. For someone who had always lived in a lake and saw nothing but the sky and the water, a television must be quite confusing. “Yeah, I guess,” he said. “Here, I’ll put a movie on, that’ll be better.”

“The one with the sea?”

“…Really? Again?”

The last time they’d watched something together was the day before Andy’s death, when they’d both sat in the boat house with Max’s laptop. Memories of that time rushed back, and Max realised he’d been so absorbed with Eiya that he’d completely forgotten what was going to happen tomorrow - his impending arrest. He tried to shut those thoughts down again before apprehension took over and spoiled the moment.

“Yes please,” Eiya said, and Max smiled at him.

“Alright. I don’t think we caught the ending anyway; I have it here on DVD somewhere…”

*

They watched the movie side-by-side on the sofa. It was such a normal thing to do – Max could almost pretend he was a regular guy, snuggled up next to his boyfriend. He’d pulled a fleecy blanket from the wooden trunk next to the bookcase and they had bedded down beneath it, with Eiya’s head resting on his shoulder as they stared at the screen. They were so close he could smell the shampoo he’d used on Eiya earlier - a warm scent that suited him.

The peacefulness was only broken by Eiya’s frequent vocalisations.

“Yes! Boat!” He said a little too loudly.

“Ow, that was right in my ear.”

“Look!”

“Yes, I can see the boat.”

Eiya had already seen this part of the film, but he seemed just as excited as the first time. Max wondered if it wasn’t the best idea to show him ‘ _Pirates of the Caribbean,_ ’ again – something about the film seemed to send Eiya into some kind of frenzy, and Max found himself trying not to laugh at the merman’s giddy commentary.

“ _Treasure_ ,” Eiya breathed reverently when a mountain of gold was shown on the screen.

“You like that? Shiny coins and stuff?”

Eiya shook his head. “No, the people do. They all want shiny coins.”

Max shrugged. “Can’t argue with that,” he said.

“Yup. All want coins.”

“True.”

They both nodded like this was a completely normal conversation. It carried on until the end of the film, though Max was paying far more attention to Eiya than he was to the TV. He couldn’t have hoped for a better distraction – the merman was so beautiful and strange and interesting, Max just wanted to stay like this forever.

“Where did it go?” Eiya asked when the screen faded to black.

“It finished,” Max told him. The credits began to roll and, despite the upbeat theme music, Max felt his heart sink. It was getting late and he still had the bathroom to clean. He knew they should call it a night.

“Oh dear,” said Eiya. “It finished.”

“Yeah, I don’t like stuff finishing either.”

There was only the light from the TV, flickering as Max shifted, turning his head to look at Eiya. He should switch the television off now. He should turn on the light and coax Eiya back up the stairs. But he didn’t want to.

“You’re really pretty,” he said instead, his voice low. He could feel his cheeks burning as he said it, the compliment sounding stupid to his own ears, but Eiya didn’t seem to think so.

The merman practically fell apart, his hands twisting in the fabric of Max’s shirt, eyes wide. He made a sound in his throat before beaming at Max, the joy on his face making the man’s stomach flip over.

“You are, too,” said Eiya. “More than… than trees or leafs.”

He gave Max that look again, like he was in love with him, and to his horror Max felt his eyes starting to water. He’d felt so alone since his parents had died – he’d even convinced himself he liked it better that way, shutting himself off in this house in the middle of nowhere. But he’d been wrong. He _did_ need someone, he needed the closeness, and here was this incredible creature who was offering it to him. Everything he wanted, but he could no longer have – not after tonight, at least. This was all he had left.


	15. Chapter 15

Max didn’t even have to think about it - he leaned in to kiss Eiya so quickly, he missed. His lips bumped the corner of Eiya’s mouth instead, and he dragged them slowly towards the centre. The merman froze; Max could feel his lips tensing, and it was like both of them were holding their breath. Then Eiya’s lips softened and they were reaching for each other, pressing closer in a way that felt completely natural. Max kissed him like this was the last kiss they’d ever share, and Eiya kissed him back like he never wanted to stop.

It was a messy combination. Neither of them were being particularly careful – they shared hot breaths between kisses, until Max’s mouth opened up and his tongue darted out to swipe along Eiya’s lips, getting them nice and wet. Eiya gasped, but he didn’t back away when Max licked behind his teeth, and the merman tentatively raised his own tongue to squirm against Max’s.

Eiya was practically sitting in Max’s lap by this point. His hands had fisted in Max’s t-shirt and he was tugging at it as he kissed, moving his head and swirling his tongue in a way that was all enthusiasm and no skill. He started to make little whining sounds, like a hurt animal, and the noise sent sparks shooting deep down in Max’s belly. It no longer mattered what tomorrow had in store – right now, Eiya was feeding him all these erotic sounds and Max could only hungrily drink them in, like an addict that was getting his fix. Every whine and whimper from Eiya seemed to heighten the feeling, and Max found himself working even harder to coax out more.

It was so satisfying - like playing an instrument and hitting all the right notes. When Max sucked Eiya’s bottom lip into his mouth, he felt the merman hum against him. When he began to nibble on the plump flesh, Eiya wriggled and moaned. Max was finding it hard to concentrate, but his hands managed to find Eiya’s waist, and he gave it a harsh squeeze. He was well rewarded - it made Eiya buck right up, yelping against Max’s mouth.

“Mmmm,” Max responded as he kneaded at the skin. There wasn’t much to grab – Eiya was lean and slender, hard muscle under smooth skin. Max felt it tense beneath his hands and it made him press harder, his blunt nails digging in.

Eiya whimpered. He’d stopped kissing properly and was just bumping his mouth against Max’s again and again, breathing hard out of his nose. Max gave one last squeeze and pulled away to see if the merman was okay. He was met with a beautiful sight; even in the dim light from the TV he could see that Eiya’s eyes were lidded, his lips swollen, chest rising and falling a little too fast.

Max felt himself get even harder, his dick jutting up awkwardly in his sweatpants. He adjusted himself as subtly as he could, tucking the head of his cock under the waistband, and his fingers came away wet.

“Was that…?” Eiya asked, sounding a bit dazed. He was looking at Max’s lap, just above where his tail was slung across Max’s knees.

“Uh, yeah,” Max said awkwardly, looking down, and that’s when he noticed it.

Eiya was hard too. The scales at the centre of his lap had parted, a slit opening up, and Max could see his cock poking out. His eyes greedily took in its silhouette: curved and long, thick at the base but tapering into a narrower head. Max could see the exotic ridges, the way the whole thing glistened in the light from the TV, and he could only think one thing.

“Can I lick you?” He blurted, and Eiya’s eyes widened.

“Lick?”

“Mmm yeah.”

Max leaned in and attacked Eiya’s neck without waiting for an answer. He stuck his tongue out and dragged it over Eiya’s throat, swirling around the bump of his adam’s apple. He felt it bob when Eiya made a strangled sound, and Max gave the skin a quick suck before moving further down.

“You’re so smooth,” he muttered heatedly into Eiya’s skin. One of his hands rested just below Eiya’s waist, dangerously close to his exposed dick but not quite touching it, and he licked a path down Eiya’s chest. “Do you like this?”

Eiya tried to answer, but he was cut off when Max sucked a nipple into his mouth. He ended up making a pathetic ‘ _ye-unghh,_ ’ sound, and Max grinned, scraping his teeth over the hardened nub. Webbed hands flew up to his head and held on a little too tightly, as if Eiya didn’t know whether he was trying to pull him closer or push him away.

“Ah – ah – _ah_ ,” Eiya was babbling, and Max gave a quick swirl with his tongue before backing off.

“You’re pulling my hair,” he complained, reaching up to dislodge Eiya’s fingers. He felt a few strands rip free as Eiya clumsily lowered his hands.

“Sorry.”

“Was it too much?”

Eiya paused before vehemently shaking his head.

“Good,” was all Max said before he squirmed out from underneath Eiya’s heavy tail and dropped down onto his knees.

It was obvious what Max was about to do. Even Eiya seemed to understand - he was practically hyperventilating, moving his hands around restlessly, like he didn’t know where to put them. Max gently guided him to sit forward, and when they were in the right position, he leaned in.

“ _Ah_ ,” Eiya got out, and his hands flew up to cover his face.

“Are you ready?” Asked Max. He had paused where he was, just a few inches between his face and Eiya’s cock. It was a great view – the swollen length of it was pulsing in time with Eiya’s heartbeat, and a fat drop of pre-come was visible at the tip. The whole thing quivered, and the droplet ran down the slit and stopped at one of the grooves under the head. Max wanted to lap it up.

“I… I…”

“Are you ready for my mouth?” Max tried again. The way Eiya was coming undone only spurred him on.

“ _Ngh_.”

“Don’t you want my tongue here?”

Max gently ran his thumb along Eiya’s cock, and the merman lost control. His hips bucked up and he pressed his dick against Max’s face, the warm wetness of it smearing against Max’s cheek. Eiya’s hips twitched as he rubbed himself closer to Max’s mouth, and when he lowered back down his dick was still standing straight up, straining hard. Max took pity on him.

“Okay, it’s okay,” he murmured, before wrapping his fingers around the base to hold it steady. Eiya only nodded, wordless, and Max looked up to watch his face as he licked his lips and leaned in.

Eiya’s mouth dropped open in a silent scream when Max took the head into his mouth. He did it slowly, letting it slide past his lips, pressing it against his tongue. Eiya looked agonised for a moment before his eyes fluttered shut and he groaned, and when Max gave a small suck, Eiya jerked like he’d been electrocuted.

“You alright?” Max asked, pulling away and pressing his lips to the shaft, kissing it.

“Nnnnn,” said Eiya.

“No?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Eiya choked out, and Max took that as permission to open his mouth and engulf all of Eiya’s cock.

He went down as far as he could, until he felt it bump the back of his throat. He ignored the urge to cough and sucked instead, dragging his tongue along the underside and indulging in the velvety skin, the musky taste of arousal. It was so good – even better than he’d imagined. It pulsed in his mouth and, judging by Eiya’s strangled sobs, it must have been quite sensitive. Max bobbed his head and gave a quick flick with his tongue and Eiya doubled over, his belly pressing against Max’s head for a moment before he gasped and rocked back, no idea what to do with himself. He settled for grabbing at Max’s already-stretched t-shirt, winding his hands in the fabric and holding on tight.

“Mmmm,” Max hummed as he sucked back down to the base. He started up a slow rhythm, drawing up and slurping at the head before sucking back down again, and it had Eiya clawing at his shoulders, his hips moving erratically. It was like sucking off a bucking bronco. Eiya was this wild thing beneath him, unable to sit still, and it made Max’s own cock ache where it was pinned beneath his waistband.

It got too much when Eiya began gasping his name. Max had slid up to give some attention to the tip, mapping it out with his tongue and memorising all the grooves and ridges, when Eiya gave a breathless “ _Max_.”

Max’s free hand flew straight to his crotch and he pressed down on the bulge.

“Mmm?” Max asked, and he popped his lips just over the head, wriggling his tongue between the lips of Eiya’s slit.

“ _Ohh_ ,” Eiya moaned, and he pushed the curve of his dick deeper into Max’s mouth. “ _Ohhh_ , this…”

“Like this?” Max sank back down and swirled his tongue around and around, slurping on it like a lollipop.

“ _Mmmph_.”

Max’s hand was still on his own cock, and he reached beneath the waistband to pull it free. He was so wet that his palm became slick in seconds, and he could clearly hear the sticky noises as he started to stroke himself. He didn’t care – it felt too good. The relief of it was making him practically pant around Eiya’s cock.

Eiya chose that moment to arch his back and shove his cock as far into Max’s mouth as he could. Max did gag this time - he spluttered and coughed as he tried to regain control, but Eiya only seemed to get harder, apparently oblivious to Max’s struggle.

There was a ripping sound as Eiya curled his fingers into the sofa cushion, and Max replaced his mouth with his hand, pulling away to take a breath.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, are you close?” He asked hoarsely, looking up at Eiya’s face. Eiya’s eyes were screwed shut, his eyes moving beneath the lids, teeth clenched.

Eiya nodded.

“Okay,” said Max, and he released Eiya’s cock.

“N- _nooo_ ,” Eiya wailed, his eyes flying open.

“Just - hang on for a sec,” Max said, standing up. “This’ll be worth it.”

He pulled his sweatpants down, dragging his boxers along with them. He kicked them off, too eager to feel embarrassed. His erection bobbed and swayed as he messily toed off his socks, and he didn’t even bother with his t-shirt. When he looked up, Eiya had wrapped a webbed hand around his own dick and he was staring at Max and squeezing.

“I said _wait_ ,” Max scolded, but he had to admit it was a nice sight. Eiya really knew how to handle that thing – his hand slid up in a practiced motion, his thumb playing with the head, and Max imagined him doing this in secret, unable to resist. “Alright, enough,” he said reluctantly.

“But – _ah_ \- “

Max grabbed Eiya’s tail and spun him around, heaving the trailing fluke over the arm of the sofa. Eiya was caught off balance and his hands flew out to steady himself, leaving him lying awkwardly across the sofa cushions. “I told you, this will be better. Trust me,” Max said, and he turned and carefully placed a knee next to Eiya’s head.

“ _Oh, okay._ ”

Eiya held still as Max brought his other leg around, settling it on the other side of Eiya’s head. He straddled the merman’s face and leaned right forward, getting on his elbows so that he could reach down to Eiya’s dick again.

“Yes, good,” Eiya nodded, and his hair tickled Max’s thighs.

“Told you.”

Max held Eiya’s heavy cock loosely in one hand again and gave it a languid lick, trying not to think about the view that Eiya must have. The merman let out a breath that Max could feel on his scrotum, and he shuddered. Then there came a tentative nudge.

“Uh, you need to be careful there,” Max said anxiously, turning his head. “In fact, just be really careful with all of it. No teeth and, uh, nothing too –“

Eiya’s tongue on his balls shut him right up. The merman lapped at him like a cat, little licks that were soft and warm.

“ _Fuck_ ,” said Max, and he got back to work.

Eiya’s cock seemed to have swollen even more in its neglect. The tip was now a blueish-rose colour, and Max gave it a quick apology suck. He pushed it against the roof of his mouth and bobbed his head gently, tasting the pre-come that was drooling out. He suckled harder, drawing down to the thickest part before slowly pulling back, flicking his tongue as he went.

“ _Yess_ ,” the merman moaned from between Max’s legs. He’d stopped what he was doing and was just breathing hard, his tail undulating to push his dick nearer to Max’s lips.

“Selfish,” Max grumbled, and he reached for his own needy erection. It was pointing straight up to his belly but he forced it down, practically shoving it in Eiya’s face. The merman made a surprised sound, and Max didn’t think he was going to do anything, but then heat enveloped Max’s cock and his eyes fell shut as the pleasure flooded him.

He couldn’t help the low moan that escaped him. Eiya was sucking in the same way that he kissed – clumsy and messy and wet. He slurped at the tip and flattened his tongue, dragging it all over the place with no technique whatsoever. Max _loved_ it.

Eiya pushed Max’s hand out of the way, needing to lick all of Max’s cock that he could reach, and Max didn’t argue. He happily settled back onto his elbows so that he could busy his mouth once again, and it was perfect – to feel that part of Eiya pulsing on his tongue while the merman hungrily licked him in return. He’d never felt this good. He gripped the merman’s cock and slapped it lewdly on his tongue, feeling it twitch in his hand.

“ _Nghff.”_

Eiya made an urgent noise and huffed under Max’s crotch, his tail squirming. He released Max’s cock it sprang back up to wetly slap against his belly, but Max ignored it. He knew that Eiya was going to come.

“That’s it,” he encouraged, and he latched on to the tip while he rubbed the shaft with quick motions of his fist. It was so slippery that it slid in his palm easily – the most difficult thing was trying to keep hold of it when Eiya’s hips were bucking and his tail was squirming.

“M- _Max_ ,” Eiya whimpered, and his dick convulsed. It spasmed in Max’s hand and he tasted something new, something he’d been craving.

Max stuffed all of Eiya’s dick in his mouth one last time and sucked, and Eiya came with a broken cry. His fingers dug into Max’s thighs and he arched so hard that his whole body practically lifted from the sofa. Wave after wave of release flooded Max’s mouth, and his jaw ached from having to keep it open so wide, but he didn’t stop sucking. He drew everything out and only pulled away when Eiya had collapsed weakly onto the cushions, his fluke slowly uncurling.

Max swallowed. He felt his mouth tingle with it - like pinpricks on his tongue. “You alright?” He asked gently.

“Fuck fuck,” Eiya told him, his voice barely audible.

“Don’t swear,” Max said with a small smile. He was about to move when curious hands gently slid up his thighs and cupped his ass. “ _Whoa_.”

“Whoa bad?”

Eiya squeezed, his breath still ragged. Max felt the sofa cushions dip behind him as the merman shuffled back a bit, and then that warm tongue was pressing against Max’s perineum.

“Oh f –god,” Max groaned. That tongue was so soft. It wriggled there before sliding under his balls and back again, further. Max felt like he was going to have a heart attack. “Oh god,” he repeated. “Do you even… know…”

Eiya gave one long lick between his cheeks. “Is it okay?” He asked, the sound slightly muffled.

“ _Uh_.”

The merman licked again, from taint to tailbone. “Is it?”

“ _Uhn_ \- yeah.”

Eiya’s hands gripped onto Max’s hips and he yanked them back, sitting Max right down onto his face. Max yelped and his arm shot out to clutch at the side of the sofa, but Eiya didn’t even seem fazed. His tongue had found the puckered opening of Max’s hole, and he was circling it as dangerously as a shark.

“Oh god,” Max breathed, his chest heaving. He risked a look down and saw Eiya’s neck, his adam’s apple bobbing, his face buried between Max’s legs. Max could also see his own cock, painfully stiff and sticking straight up, a string of fluid connecting it to his belly.

“Mmm,” Eiya moaned under him, and he started to push with his tongue.

Max could hardly believe this was happening. He tried to relax, but his muscles had tensed right up, drawing him tight like a bow. He took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to calm himself, and it must have helped – in the next moment, he felt Eiya’s tongue slip inside.

It twisted about, pressing past the tight ring of muscle before _curling_. That curl had Max gasping, and Eiya pulled his cheeks apart, spreading him wide so that he could reach in further. That maddening tongue writhed inside of him, pressing against his walls, and Max was helpless against this new sensation. He reached for his own dick and palmed at it, his hips grinding instinctively.

Eiya didn’t try and stop him. The hands on Max’s ass only guided him, moving him with a strength that shouldn’t be possible. Max was being manoeuvred like a puppet, but all that he could think about was the pull in the pit of his stomach.

“Fuck, I can’t –“ Max groaned, trying to slow down, but he couldn’t; not with Eiya’s tongue moving inside him like that, those webbed hands pulling him closer. Max could only pick up the pace on his own dick, jacking himself off as warmth spread down his legs, the pressure building within. “Eiya – Eiya, I’m going to come, I’m going to –“

Eiya opened his jaws wide, breathing hard as he stuffed his tongue in deep. Max’s muscles spasmed around him, clamping down on his tongue, and the merman made a muffled noise of surprise. Max didn’t even hear him over the rushing sound in his ears. He was too far gone to do anything but give his cock one last squeeze, moaning loudly as his pleasure peaked.

He’d never come so hard in his life. Max’s whole body jerked as a white-hot jolt went through him, milky fluid shooting into the air. The relief flooded him so entirely that he hunched over, boneless. He could barely even breathe – he could only shudder, his body twitching, lights dancing behind his closed eyelids. He gasped for air when it faded, the orgasm leaving him weak, but the warmth remained in his bones.

Something wet nudged against the underside of Max’s balls, and he pulled himself up with great effort.

“Shit, sorry,” he muttered, and he used the back of the sofa to help him swing his knee back over, standing up on shaky legs. “You okay? God, that was… yeah.”

Eiya wiped the saliva from his chin and looked up at Max, but it was to dark to read his expression.

“What?” Max asked, feeling his cheeks flush. The merman had just eaten his _ass,_ he’d put his tongue in places that Max had never even considered, and Max was having trouble looking him in the eye.

Eiya shrugged. “ _Hello_ ,” he chirped out in his own language, and the familiar sound made Max feel instantly at ease.

“Yeah, hello. How did I know you were going to say that.”

Max pulled his t-shirt up over his head, careful not to touch the globs of semen that clung to it. He screwed it up and threw it on the floor.

“Tha’s better,” Eiya informed him.

He sounded sleepy, and Max realised how late it must have gotten. He was just as exhausted as Eiya; his knees felt like jelly and his muscles ached in all the right places.

“Mmm,” Max replied, and he picked up the blanket from earlier. “Move over.”

They curled around each other under the blanket, skin pressed against skin. Max ran his fingers through Eiya’s hair, smoothing it down, and Eiya kissed him on the ear.

“Nnnn. Night,” Max mumbled, his mind blissfully blank. Eiya’s arms wrapped around him, and Max smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

*

_“Max?” Said a voice. “Max, are you here?”_

_Max knew he was dreaming, in the same way he knew that Andy had come back for him. He was back in the boat house, and Andy was knocking on the door. “Max, I know you’re in there,” he called._

_Max knew that he should hide – maybe then, Andy would just go away. But he didn’t want to. Andy had come to hurt him, Max knew that, but he also knew that he was safe here. Safe in the boat house, where he could be close to Eiya._

_The creature that would kill for him._

*

“Max?” Came the voice again. “You in there?”

Max woke with a start, and for a moment he was confused. He was in his living room and something warm was breathing next to his ear, but Andy was still knocking on the door.

No, not Andy, he suddenly realised. _Carl_. Probably come to arrest him.

And here he was – naked on the sofa with a sleeping merman by his side.


	16. Chapter 16

Max scrambled out from under the blanket with a horrible sense of déjà vu. It was just like Andy’s visit those few weeks ago – Max hastily struggled into his sweatpants, kicking his semen-covered t-shirt under the sofa.

“Coming!” He called at the door, his heart pounding in his throat. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Max?” Came a croaky voice from under the blanket.

“Shit,” Max hissed. Half-dressed, he got to one knee and smoothed Eiya’s hair from his forehead, leaning closer. “I need you to be quiet, okay?” He said urgently, his voice less than a whisper. “This is really important. I’m going to speak to someone at the door, but they can’t know you’re in here. Don’t move, don’t speak, don’t – don’t do anything, okay?”

Eiya looked scared. His eyes were huge in his face, but he nodded slowly, his hands clutching the blanket.

“Okay good, I’m going to close this door now.”

Max felt self-conscious about his bare chest, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He shut the door to the living room with a quiet ‘click,’ praying that Eiya would keep to his word, and closed the short distance to the front door.

He opened it just enough to peer out at Carl through the narrow opening.

“Hey, sorry,” he said as casually as he could. “I, uh, had a bad night’s sleep.”

Carl wasn’t alone. Thomas stood a pace behind him, and Max swallowed loudly as they both took in his dishevelled appearance.

“I see,” said the older police officer.

“I’d invite you in, but….” he gestured at himself.

“Not necessary,” Carl said, waving a hand. “Work’s already started, we just came to notify you. Thomas is going to stay here in case you need anything, but I would suggest getting dressed and eating a good breakfast.”

“Oh. Right,” Max nodded, like this was all normal.

“I’ll be back when there’s news,” he finished, turning and making his way around the side of the house. Now that Max listened, he could hear distant voice and the low hum of a machine.

Thomas lingered on the porch. Max hadn’t seen him since that first police interview. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and he wasn’t sure what to say.

“So… you’ll just…” He tried.

“I’ll be right out here,” Thomas told him.

Max knew that he wasn’t actually there to help him. He was on guard duty, making sure that Max didn’t try and leave.

“All right, I’ll just get dressed, then,” said Max, and he slowly closed the door.

*

Eiya had stayed true to his word. When Max returned to the living room, the merman was lying stock still, only his ears twitching.

“Hey,” Max whispered, trying to stay calm. “We need to get you upstairs now – it’s got to be quiet though. We can’t make any noise, alright?”

“You okay?” Eiya asked.

“Shhh. I will be, I just need you to do this for me.”

“Yes.”

It was obvious that Eiya had no idea what was going on – his ears stayed perked, the scales on his shoulders lifting slightly, like a cat raising its hackles. Max tried to reassure him with a small smile, but it probably looked like more of a grimace. He felt like the world was ending, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Come on, let’s get you up,” Max whispered, pulling at Eiya’s arm. “Remember: _shhh_.”

He hoisted the merman up, and Eiya’s arms locked around his shoulders. Max walked to the end of the room before pausing - another step would bring him into the hallway, with just the plain wood of the front door standing between them and Thomas.

“Hold on to me,” Max breathed, and Eiya nodded.

Adrenaline pumped through Max as he carried Eiya past the door and to the stairs. All he could think about was keeping Eiya hidden and safe, and the fear made it easier to carry the merman’s weight. Eiya clutched tightly to his neck as they moved, and Max kept one hand under Eiya’s tail while the other gripped the bannister, hauling them up step by step. Cold determination got him to the top, and Max’s mind felt clearer by the time they reached the bedroom, clarifying what he needed to do next.

He set Eiya down on his bed.

“You did great,” Max whispered. “We just need to be quiet for a little while longer. I’ll be right back.”

Max hurried to the bathroom, throwing discarded clothes and towels in the wash. Then he emptied the bath of yesterday’s cold water, turning on the water to rinse it out. He had a quick shower while he was there, spending less than 5 minutes under the spray. Then he methodically dried himself, adding his sweatpants to the laundry pile.

Back in the bedroom, Eiya was waiting for him. He was sat straight up on the bed, the tension evident in his coiled tail and stiff shoulders. Neither of them spoke as Max got dressed, and the man wondering how on earth he was going to phrase what he wanted to say.

“Okay,” he said eventually, breaking the silence.

“Okay?” Eiya answered quietly.

“Yeah, listen. I’m going to tell you some stuff and you just… you remember it, okay?”

Max got down on his hands and knees and peered underneath the bed. There wasn’t much under there – just a few stray socks and an old duffel bag. He made a grab for the bag and pulled it out, brushing off some of the dust. He talked while he packed.

“So, there might be some people coming into the house soon. You need to listen hard – if you hear anyone, then you have to get under the bed. You need to _hide_ , understand? Hide until they go away, don’t make a sound. No matter what you hear, you just stay hidden, okay?”

He was throwing anything into the bag – spare clothes, a body spray, a phone charger. He picked up a framed photograph of his parents – it was taken on holiday a few years ago, the two of them smiling with a view of the sea behind them. Max wasn’t sure what he’d be able to take to prison with him, but he packed it anyway. It made him feel less alone, to have them with him.  

“What’s that?” Eiya asked. He reached towards the bag, but Max pulled the whole thing out of the way. Eiya looked like he was going to cry – he took in a sharp breath and looked up. “What’s happening, Max?”

“It- it doesn’t matter,” Max told him, looking away. He had to stay strong if he was going to keep Eiya safe. “You need to remember what I’m saying. Hide from the people, okay? And don’t go back to the lake until it’s quiet. You have to be sure that no one else is around, and that might be a while. Until then just… stay hidden, okay? Please.”

“You’re leaving.” Eiya looked frantically at the bag, his voice hitching.

“No,” Max lied. “Calm down, okay? I’ll be back, everything’s going to be fine. Were you listening to what I said?”

Eiya nodded slowly. “Hide. Be quiet.”

“That’s it. I’m going to take this downstairs now, but if you just do everything I said then it’ll all be okay.”

Eiya nodded again, his lower lip pouting out, but he didn’t argue.

Max looked him in the eye, and his stomach lurched. He might never see him again. “Thank you,” he said, putting all the meaning he could into the words – he needed Eiya to know that he appreciated everything. Not just the merman’s compliance, but everything he’d done for him, all those months of happiness.

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya chirped.

Max kissed him quickly, leaning forward and bumping their lips together. He didn’t linger – he knew he might not be able to leave if he did. When they separated, Max picked up the bag and turned his back.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and shut the door behind him.

*

The police were using some kind of radio to speak. Max could hear it through the door; a crackle of static and voices talking, though he couldn’t make out what they said. He tried to listen for a while, with his head pressed to the door, but he gave up after a while. He moved to sit on the bottom step instead, duffel bag by his side, waiting for the inevitable.

When it came, it was a polite knock on the door. Max leapt off the step and flung it open, expecting handcuffs and sirens, but there was just Thomas. He looked a bit started at the dramatic way Max had answered the door, but his voice was steady.

“Max – they’re asking for you down at the lake.”

This was it. It would all be over soon.

“Did they say why?” Max couldn’t help but ask, quickly putting on the shoes he had waiting.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t really understand though – maybe I misunderstood. It’s probably better if we just go down there.”

It didn’t sound promising. Max closed the front door behind him, praying that Eiya would remember his instructions. He thought only of the merman as he made his way across the lawns – Eiya’s smile, his eyes, his chitters and clicks. It gave him the strength to keep walking.

“We’re here,” Thomas announced to the officers at the lake. He stood right behind Max, with the others in front. There was nowhere Max could go but forward.

“Ah. Max,” Carl said, taking a step towards them. There was something different in his expression.

“Yeah,” Max replied in a dull voice.

They stood at the foot of the jetty, while a number of people crowded around something further down the walkway. A vehicle with a crane attached to the back was parked along the path, and the long chain that trailed from the back was wet.

“So… what’s going on?” Max prompted, feeling sick. Everyone was staring.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” someone muttered.

“If you’ll come with me,” Carl gestured, stepping aside to make room for Max. Thomas followed curiously as they made their way to the source of the confusion.

“You… found something?” Max asked, struggling to see.

“Oh, we found something alright.”

Their view cleared as people made room for them, a few nodding as they stepped aside. He recognised the woman he’d met yesterday, though he couldn’t remember her name.

“What the…”

Before him was something metal and big. It was the colour of rusted iron, though there were still shiny parts in places, dark wood filling in the gaps. At the top was a latch, hinges at the side.

“Is that a –“ Thomas asked, leaning closer.

“It’s a treasure chest,” finished Max, stunned.

It was ridiculous. The thing looked like something straight out of a movie. Someone lifted the top as he watched, revealing a generous pile of gold and silver coins. They were just like the weird coins that Eiya had brought him before.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Carl asked, peering at Max.

He shook his head, and the shock on his face was genuine.

“A treasure chest?” Thomas repeated, just as surprised as everyone else.

“It isn’t all treasure in there,” someone said. “Look.” They wore gloves as they sifted through the coins, unearthing a number of bottle caps. “It’s like whoever made this couldn’t tell the difference between treasure and trash,” they added, perplexed.

Max almost laughed. “That is… odd.”

People started talking amongst themselves, and the atmosphere seemed to relax. Thomas reached for one of the coins, a gold circle that was almost as big as his fist. “Wow,” he said, and turned it over in awe.

“Not really what we were expecting,” Carl mused, a small smile on his face.

“I… Uh, what were you expecting?” Max asked.

Carl’s expression turned serious. “Max, you have to understand – with the way this was looking, we weren’t sure…”

The woman from yesterday was talking to another officer, someone Max didn’t recognise. He heard the words “ _area clear_ ,” and “ _not possible_ ,” and “ _conclusive_.”

“Did you hear me?” Carl said.

Max shook his head. “Sorry, this is all just a bit strange.”

“Of course. I said that we should never have treated you as a suspect - there’s been no real evidence of a misdemeanour here, all we had was circumstantial. Yesterday, when we detected something metallic in your lake, well – I have to say, I thought we were looking at a crime scene.”

“Oh.”

“Unprofessional of me,” Carl admitted. “I should know by now that things aren’t always as clear cut as they seem.”

Equipment was being taken back over to the van, people making idle conversation. They were packing up.

“Is that… _it_?” Max asked, not trusting himself to feel hopeful just yet.

Carl nodded, even going so far as to clap him on the shoulder. “You’ve been more than helpful, allowing us onto your property like this. We’ve churned up your grass quite enough, I think.”

“Wait, what about this?” Thomas asked, standing up and raising the huge coin.

Carl shrugged. “It’ll be the first time we’ve found buried treasure in the middle of an investigation,” he said with a chuckle. “Since we found it here, that makes it yours, Max. Don’t spend it all at once.”

Max was almost ready to breathe a sigh of relief when someone jogged along the jetty towards them. “Bad news,” the man said, looking at Max gravely.

“What’s the problem?” Carl asked urgently.

“We’ve knocked out a post,” the man continued, grimacing. “Really sorry, we were winding the chain and the thing got stuck, it’s just that one at the end…”

Max looked over at the broken post without even seeing it. He felt lightheaded. “Oh, that’s okay. I was thinking of making a few changes around here anyway.”

“At least you’ll be well funded,” said Thomas, reluctantly dropping the coin back into the chest.

Carl nodded. “Right, we’ll get out of your hair,” he told Max. “You need help moving this?”

Max looked at the chest and shook his head. “Nah, that’s okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

“All right, then. We’ll make a call to your boss on the way back – Michelle, was it?”

Max walked with them back to the house, where Carl’s car was parked out the front. “Thanks.”

“We’ll explain the situation, so I expect you’ll be hearing from her soon. I’m sure everyone will be glad to have you back at work. Again, my apologies for all the inconvenience.”

“That’s okay.”

They paused by the car.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Max asked hesitantly. He just wanted to hear it, one last time.

“We’ll probably look down a few of the avenues we haven’t explored yet. There aren’t many, to tell you the truth – no signs of violence, no paper trail. It’s probably why we jumped on this lead as much as we did.” He looked sheepish.

“Well, I hope you find something,” Max told him, giving a supportive smile. At least, he hoped it looked supportive – he was finding it hard to contain the joy that was racing through his whole body.

“Thanks Max. You take care.”

“You too.”

*

Max waited until the car was out of sight before hurrying inside and looking through his kitchen window. The crane was gone and the van was just driving away, leaving muddy grooves in the grass behind it. Max didn’t care. They were really gone. He was free.

He raced back through the living room to the bottom of the stairs, almost tripping over his duffel bag. He wouldn’t be needing it any more. He gave a shaky laugh, breathing fast as he thudded up the stairs and threw open his bedroom door. It was empty.

“It’s me,” Max said to the room, looking around. It was silent. “You can come out.”

When nothing happened, Max started to panic. What if Eiya had gone out of the room? What if he’d tried to look for him, what if he’d been _seen_? “Eiya?” Max called out, terrified.

There was a rustle and Eiya’s head peeked over the other side of the bed. “You said _shhh_ ,” he declared.

The relief that flowed through Max seemed to mix with his delight, a heady euphoria that buzzed inside him as soon as he saw the merman’s face, heard his familiar voice. It was a happiness that Max didn’t think he was capable of feeling, and he choked out a small sob.

“You _idiot_ ,” he blurted out, and threw himself across the bed, lunging at Eiya. He tumbled right on top of the merman, throwing his arms around him and squeezing like he never wanted to let go.

“Oh – all good now?” Eiya asked sounding pleased, his breath tickling the side of Max’s face.

“Yeah – all good,” Max replied, and Eiya relaxed into his arms.

 


	17. Chapter 17

They stayed like that until Eiya started to squeeze too hard.

Max let out a breathless cough. “Too much,” he choked out, and Eiya’s grip loosened.

“Oops.”

“Urgh, you’re stronger than you look.”

“Am I?”

Max laughed, still feeling giddy with relief. “Yeah,” he said, and kissed Eiya on the lips. Everything was different now – he no longer felt that foreboding sense of hopelessness, like every kiss with Eiya might be his last. Now, he could do this for as long as he wanted. He could do this forever.

Max pressed his face into the crook of Eiya’s shoulder and just breathed him in. Eiya smelled like shampoo and sweat, a weirdly comforting mix. It was like coming home.

“ _Max_?” Eiya chirped in his own language – he hadn’t said his name like this in a while, and Max smiled.

“Mmm, yeah?”

“What happened?”

Max pulled away to look at Eiya. They were still sprawled on the floor, in the tight space between the bed and Max’s dresser, but neither were in a hurry to move. Max leaned back against the drawers, his legs slung over Eiya’s tail.

“What do you mean?”

Eiya’s eyes searched Max’s. “You’re different,” the merman said, sounding more curious than anything. “Something happened.”

“Yeah. It did.”

It wasn’t like he was planning on hiding all of this forever. Max planned to tell Eiya everything eventually, he just didn’t know how to start. He didn’t want Eiya to feel bad, but then he didn’t want to lie to him either. He put a hand on Eiya’s tail and stroked the scales, thinking hard.

“Tell me,” Eiya prompted, and his webbed fingers settled over Max’s.

“Right. Okay. You remember me telling you that some people had to come and look at the lake?”

Eiya nodded.

“Well they were looking for… for the bad man. They wanted to know what happened to him.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s all kind of fucked up. It’s just that – if they found _you_ , they would have taken you away. They would have hurt you. Humans - my kind – they aren’t always the most understanding.”

“Like you?”

“No, not me. You’re safe with me. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

Their hands laced together as far as they could, the tips of Max’s fingers bumping against Eiya’s webbing.

“So… all of this?” Eiya murmured, looking confused.

“Huh?”

“All of what happened. Having to hide. It was because of… the bad man gone missing?”

Max squeezed his hand. “Sort of. It’s why we can’t hurt people – well, one of the reasons. We get into trouble, and we don’t want that.”

“Did we get into trouble?”

“No. Not this time.” He smiled. “Those people, they didn’t find anything - not even the bike. I still can’t believe it, but yeah, they’ve gone now.”

Eiya nodded slowly, his eyes moving like he was thinking. “And if they _had_ found?”

The thought sent an unpleasant feeling through Max’s chest. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “They didn’t, and everything’s okay now.”

The merman didn’t reply. He sort of sagged down, slumping forward and leaning on Max’s shoulder. His hair hung in front of his face, and Max moved to accommodate him, wrapping an arm around him.

“Hey, did you hear me? Everything’s okay now, it’s over.”

“My fault,” came the small whisper.

“What?”

“My fault. I made the bad man go away. I brought the people here.”

It was true, but Max wasn’t sure how to say it. “We all make mistakes,” he said eventually. “What’s important is that we learn from it and move on. You aren’t going to hurt anyone else, right?”

Eiya shook his head vehemently, bumping it against Max’s shoulder.

“Right, then it’s fine. Hey, look at me.”

He brought his fingers under Eiya’s chin and tilted his face up. The merman’s eyes were huge and deep, the red of his iris’s seeming to shine.

“From now on, we stick together,” Max told him, stroking his thumb across Eiya’s cheek. “If you aren’t sure about something, you ask me, and I’ll do the same with you. Is that okay?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Eiya breathed.

“Then no mistakes from now on. We’ll get it right this time.”

Max held Eiya’s chin as he kissed him. He felt the merman’s jaw move underneath his fingers, his soft lips pressing back. Eiya reached for him, pulling him closer, and their lips broke apart as they sank into each other’s arms. Max held the merman, and they both breathed together, chest to chest.

“ _Hello_ ,” Eiya chittered quietly.

Max kissed the side of his head, not wanting to let him go. “Okay, I think maybe we should start the whole asking thing now,” he said with a smile. “Why do you keep saying hello?”

Eiya laughed. He seemed to be feeling better – one of his hands found its way under Max’s shirt, and he was gently touching the small of Max’s back with cold fingers. “Not saying hello,” he said, and there was something playful in his voice. “You don’t listen.”

Max froze. “Wait, what?”

“Never said hello.”

Max took a deep breath, nuzzling the side of Eiya’s face and suddenly feeling nervous. “I thought you did. When you were teaching me things, you said this was hello –“ he emulated the sound he remembered, and it was only then that he realised it was different. There was a tiny extra click to Eiya’s sound, a different pitch in the cooing chirp. “Wait…”

“Oh, _now_ you listen,” Eiya said, and Max could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“What does it mean?” Max asked in a quiet voice.

Eiya shrugged. “ _This_ ,” he said, giving Max a small squeeze before leaning back and tapping his own chest. “This feeling. The thing I am with you,” he chittered the sound again and hunched over, leaning their foreheads together. “I don’t know how to say.”

Max took a deep, shaky breath and cradled the back of Eiya’s head, holding them together. “I think I know,” he told him, and he closed his eyes. “Is it… that you get sad when we say goodbye? And happy again when we’re together?”

Eiya nodded against him.

“And even when we’re close, like this, you still want to be closer? It’s like… there’s this burning feeling in your chest and your heart beats faster, and all you want to do is to keep that person safe and make them happy, because when they're happy, you’re happy too.”

“Yes,” Eiya whispered. “That’s it,” and he chirped the sound again.

“We say it like this,” Max told him. “I love you.”

“Oh. That’s how?”

“Yeah,” Max nodded. “And… I do.”

“…Max?”

Eiya pulled away to look at him, Max’s fingers still resting in his hair. Max combed them through, feeling the silky strands gliding between his fingers as he met the merman’s eyes.

“You…” Eiya said, and the phone rang.

It was like an alien sound that shouldn’t exist in this moment. The harsh buzzing was like an assault to his ears, and Max groaned as Eiya spun around, his back bumping against the drawers.

“ _What_??” Eiya cried out. He sounded just as distressed as when the alarm had gone off yesterday.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it,” Max said, squirming around in the small space and hauling himself to his feet. He scrambled over the bed and reached for the phone on the bedside table. The screen said ‘ _work_.’

Max flicked his thumb across the screen and held it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Max? Hi, it’s Michelle. Carl just called to give us an update on the case and, anyway, it’s all good news. Not that anyone doubted you here, of course.”

“Of course,” Max replied politely.

Eiya’s head popped up on the other side of the bed, and Max held a finger to his lips.

“So, when can you come back?” Michelle asked.

“Huh?”

Eiya’s ears were twitching, and his head was cocked as he watched Max talk on the phone. It was adorable. And distracting.

“To work,” Michelle clarified. “We’re kind of falling apart without you here. It’d be great to have you back.”

“Oh, right.” He looked back at Eiya and smiled. “There’s something I have to do for the rest of the day, but – how about tomorrow?”

“Brilliant,” said Michelle, sounding relieved. “Is there any chance you could come straight to the first-floor conference room when you get here? The board have something they’d like to discuss with you.”

It took Max off guard, and he hesitated.

“Nothing bad,” Michelle told him hastily. “As meetings go, this is definitely one of the better ones. So, how about it, Max? 9 o clock?”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

“Great, see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

Max pressed the ‘end call’ button and looked down at the phone. “That was weird,” he said.

“Because it _talked_?” Eiya asked in a whisper, as if the thing was going to jump at him.

“What? No, it’s supposed to do that. That was my new boss on the phone, and she seemed kind of… nice.”

Michelle had been the manager of a different department before she’d taken over from Andy, and Max didn’t know her very well. He hadn’t really given the whole work situation much thought since the incident, but now he was intrigued.

“ _I’m_ nice,” Eiya pouted, and Max grinned and sat on the bed.

“I know you are,” he said, reaching out a hand to help pull the merman up next to him. “The nicest. But I think things might get a lot better at work, now that… Now that I’ve got a new boss.” He had almost said ‘now that Andy isn’t there,” but he thought better of it.

“Oh - good then,” Eiya told him.

Max glanced idly at the time on his phone and groaned. “Urgh, it’s gone lunchtime,” he declared, realising just how hungry he was. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of his missed breakfast. “Want to get some food?”

“Ooooh, yes,” said Eiya, sitting bolt upright.

“Great, I’ll see what we’ve got. I can take you back to the lake after that, if you want.”

Eiya searched his face. “But - you’ll come too?” He asked, sounding unsure.

“Of course,” Max told him. “You don’t have to worry about me leaving, okay? Except to go to the bathroom. Or work. Orrrr –“

“Can’t I come to the bathroom?”

“Don’t be weird,” Max said, and Eiya grinned.

*

They raided the cupboards in the kitchen, or rather, Max did. Eiya sat on the counter, listening to Max’s suggestions.

“So we’ve got… toast?”

“Yes.”

“Or sandwiches?”

“Yes.”

“Pasta?”

“Don’t know, but yes.”

Max looked at the packets. “Shall we just make it all?” He asked, too hungry to care.

“Food,” Eiya agreed.

None of it was complicated. Just boiling water in a pot and a few minutes of waiting. Max threw together a few slices of bread and butter and ham, and they ate it all messily right there in the kitchen.

Max abandoned the dirty dishes when they were done, leaving them in the sink for later. Eiya hadn’t bothered with the knife and fork that Max had offered – he’d stared at them like they were offensive and proceeded to use his fingers, picking at the noodles with his long fingers and sucking them into his mouth. He’d gotten the sauce everywhere.

“You mess,” Max said, dabbing at him with a wet cloth. Eiya tilted his chin up and let him work, seemingly enjoying himself. When Max was done, he put the cloth in Eiya’s hands. “Here, wipe them clean. I have to go upstairs to get something, I’ll be right back.”

Max congratulated himself on his cleverness as he pulled an old sheet out of the drawer in his room. He brought it downstairs and waved it at Eiya, who had dropped the cloth on the floor and was looking down at it mournfully.

“Hey,” said Max. “New method of transportation.”

Getting outside wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t very far. Max had positioned the sheet on the grass just outside the door, and when they got there he lowered Eiya onto it.

“Now what?” Eiya asked.

“Just hold on.”

The grass was nice and dry, perfect for dragging Eiya along. They were both laughing as Eiya held onto the sides, Max running backwards, the sheet looped in his fist. Every so often Eiya would roll off, but that only made them laugh harder. By the time they got to the lake, Max’s sides were hurting.

“Do it again,” Eiya said when they reached the jetty.

“I will, I swear – next time you come up to the house.”

Max left the sheet at the bottom of the jetty. It was a nice day - the sun was sparkling on the lake’s surface, and Max realised how much he’d missed it here. He held out a hand and helped Eiya up onto the boardwalk, and the merman shuffled along on his backside. When the water was deep enough he swung his tail over, sighing as his fluke touched the surface.

“Is it cold?” Max asked.

“No.” Eiya leaned back on his arms, and that’s when he noticed the treasure chest at the end of the jetty. “ _Oh_!”

Max followed his gaze. “Ah, yeah,” he said. “You recognise that, huh?”

Eiya nodded.

“Those people found it earlier,” Max explained. He took off his shoes and socks and sat down next to Eiya, dipping his toes into the water. “ _Urgh_ , you lied, it’s freezing! Anyway, are you gunna tell me what it is?”

Eiya was still looking. “It wasn’t finished,” he said, sounding disappointed. “I was going to put more gold things. There were more gold in the one we saw.”

“The – the one _we_ saw? You and me?”

“Yes, with the boats and the people fighting. They all wanted the coins, I was making some for you.”

Eiya’s English still wasn’t perfect, his heavy accent sometimes making him hard to understand, but Max had gotten used to it by now.

“Like the one we saw in the film, you mean?”

Eiya nodded. “For you.”

“Wow. You’ve been busy.” Max remembered what he’d read, about merpeople giving gifts as a courtship ritual. He was touched that Eiya had gone to so much effort to make this for him. “Thank you.”

“Is okay. I should finish it now?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Max told him, smiling. “I’m just… wait, how would you finish it?”

“I _said_ – put in the more gold things.”

“Yeah, but… _how_? Like, is there gold in the lake?”

Max wasn’t really concerned with the gold. He was just confused – how could there be gold just sitting around at the bottom of the lake?

Eiya shook his head. “Not here,” he said. “The _deep_.”

There was that word again.

“Wait, you’ve said that before. What does _the deep_ mean? Where is it?”

Eiya’s ears perked up excitedly. “I’ll show you!”

He splashed down into the lake and the water went everywhere. Max was drenched, his back going rigid as the cold water soaked through his clothes.

“Oops.”

“Oh yeah, like you didn’t mean to do that,” Max said through clenched teeth. He got to his feet and peeled off his t-shirt, feeling the welcome heat of the sun on his shoulders. There was a chittering laughter from below, and Max met Eiya’s eyes and smiled. “Hey, this was how we met, remember?”

Eiya nodded, bobbing in the water.

“Seems like ages ago.” Max said thoughtfully, stripping off his trousers and tossing them onto the jetty. He started to count on his fingers. “Let's see, it was March, April, May, June, July, August – that’s what, five months?”

Max shrugged off his boxer shorts last. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about how cold the water was going to be. Before he could change his mind, he took a few more steps along the boardwalk, to where the water was deepest, and jumped into the lake.

“ _Fuck_!” He gasped when he broke the surface, goosebumps erupting over his arms as he worked to stay afloat.

Eiya seemed pleased. He floated closer to Max and grinned at him, his huge tail swishing beneath them.

“This is horrible,” Max declared. He splashed out a bit further and Eiya followed, swimming circles around him and making it look easy. Max huffed and gave up, reaching for the merman and clinging on to him like a koala, his arms and legs wrapping around Eiya’s body. It was like their roles were reversed – on land, Max was the graceful one, but here in the lake, Eiya comletely outshone him.

Eiya held Max close as he took them out further, his movements precise and powerful. They stopped when they were a little way past the centre, and Max let go, treading water with a hand on Eiya’s arm.

“Here,” Eiya announced.

“Here?” Max asked breathlessly. He had to admit, it wasn’t as cold as he’d first thought. Now that his body was adjusting, the water was actually quite nice.

“Yes. The deep.”

“Oh.” Max looked around. “You know, I was kind of expecting something a little more…” He splashed up a hand and waved it around, looking for the word.

“Not _here_ , fatass. Underneath.”

“ _Ohhhh_ , okay. Do you actually know what fatass means?”

“Yes,” Eiya said, and dived.

“No you don’t,” Max muttered, and he took a deep breath before following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go - had to split this last chapter in two because it go so long! Thank you so much for all your comments, I read them as soon as I get the notification and get very excited :) I'm still working on the last chapter, endings are always hard, but I'll get it finished as soon as I can. Thanks again for the support!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! I've been ill, but feeling much better now :) hope you enjoy the end of Max and Eiya's story!

The lake seemed much bigger from underneath the surface; the surrounding banks were barely visible, just a dark haze in the distance, and tiny fish darted at the edge of Max’s vision. It grew slightly murkier as they dived further down, though shafts of sunlight still filtered through the gloom, glittering off the scales of Eiya’s tail.

They were only about halfway down when Eiya turned in a graceful arch and started gesturing. Max squinted helplessly through the water, seeing only a few motes of floating algae among the endless blue. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking at.

Eiya opened his mouth and a clear, foreign note rang out. His voice was even eerier underwater – like the lake was amplifying it all around them - and he drifted closer to Max, still pointing.

As soon as the merman’s hand settled on Max’s shoulder, he saw it. The water seemed to shimmer and change, a huge circle forming right in front of them. It swirled in a way that was distinctly _other,_ and the sight took Max’s breath away.

Literally. He couldn’t breathe.

Max tapped Eiya’s shoulder urgently, pointing up at the surface and giving a feeble kick of his feet. Luckily, the merman seemed to understand - he held onto Max and propelled them towards the surface with a few strong pumps of his tail.

Max spluttered and gasped for air when they broke through, clutching tightly to Eiya. “ _That_ was the deep?” He asked when he could speak.

Eiya nodded. “You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks. So where does it lead? Is that where you came from? Can you just go in and out whenever?”

Eiya seemed pleased with the attention. “Yes, is a crossing. The lines meet, and we go through. Only _I_ know this one, though.”

“Lines, what lines?”

“Earth lines,” Eiya tried to explain. He let go of Max to hold both of his hands up, forming a cross. “The two go like this, see?”

Max wasn’t sure he understood, but he nodded anyway, still clinging onto Eiya’s shoulders. The merman’s arms came around him again, and he continued.

“There are lots, but they all lead back. Is always there.”

“What _is_ it, though?” Max was fascinated. “What’s inside?”

Eiya shrugged. “World. Different than this one – more wet.”

It took a few minutes for Max to digest this. He knew that Eiya couldn’t possibly be from around here, but to actually hear that there was another world, to see the gateway up close like that…

“Wow,” he breathed.

If he’d thought the depths of the lake seemed unearthly, then he could hardly imagine what might be waiting on the other side.

“You can come see!” Eiya suggested, glancing down at the surface of the water.

The idea sent a brief spark of excitement rushing through Max, but he shook his head.  “No,” he replied. “I don’t think I can - I can’t breathe like you, remember?”

“Oh.” Eiya seemed disappointed.

“Does it… take long to get through?”

“No, it’s right there.”

Max thought about it. “And it’s all underwater? Everything on the other side?”

“Not all,” Eiya shook his head. “Just most.”

Max had no idea what Eiya’s world might look like. The thought was staggering. Max felt like he had this whole new awareness pressing in on him, a knowledge so huge it almost hurt. The idea of him seeing it for himself was nothing more than a fantasy, but the more Max thought about it, the less impossible it seemed.

“Maybe… Maybe one day…”

Max relaxed against Eiya as his mind wandered, his arms hooking loosely around the merman’s neck. He leaned his head on Eiya’s shoulder and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun almost as much as the sturdiness of Eiya. They floated there gently, and Max thought about the deep – whether he’d really get to see it, and if any other human had been there before.

Something else occurred to him then, and his voice cut through the easy silence that had settled around them. “Eiya, is that where Andy’s bike went?”

“Hmm?”

Eiya’s voice was lazy. His head had lolled to the side, his forehead resting against Max.

“Andy’s bike,” Max repeated, begrudgingly moving away from his warm spot against Eiya’s chest. He extracted himself from the merman’s embrace and tilted his head up to meet his eyes. “Did you take it into the deep?”

Eiya blinked at him before nodding slowly. “Gone.”

“And… Andy?”

“Gone,” he repeated.

Max gave a wry laugh. “ _Oh, for_ ,” he muttered. “So, I never actually had anything to worry about?“

Eiya looked blank.

“Those people,” Max clarified. “They weren’t ever going to find anything in the lake.”

“Oh,” Eiya caught on. “No.”

“Urgh.” Max remembered asking Eiya where the bike was a few nights ago, and assuming that Eiya was just being difficult when he’d told him it was gone. Now, everything made more sense. “We really need to work on our communication skills,” Max grumbled.

“No, _you_ need to work on our commu – commoni –“

“Yeah, yeah.” Max didn’t really mind. It all felt like such a long time ago, like he was a totally different person then. He shrugged. “Fine, I’ll work on my communication skills.”

“Good,” said Eiya, and leaned in to kiss him.

It was such a lazy movement - just the slight tilt of Eiya’s head so that he could rest his lips against Max’s. They stayed like that for just a moment, breathing slowly, eyes fluttering shut, before Max twisted his arms around Eiya’s neck and parted his lips.

Eiya was definitely getting better at this – the way he worked Max’s mouth had the man turning to putty in his hands. Max couldn’t think of a time he’d been kissed so thoroughly, but then he couldn’t really think of anything at all. His mind had become blissfully blank as he responded to every sensual movement of Eiya’s lips.

Their tongues danced together, and Eiya’s tail began to restlessly stir the water beneath them in a dull rhythm that sent currants of water racing across Max’s naked skin. He shivered, pressing further into Eiya and feeling the merman’s smooth body against his own. Eiya hummed his approval, languidly dipping his tongue in and out of Max’s mouth. Max was so lost in the kiss, he didn’t even realise that Eiya’s hands were creeping downwards until one of them reached for the fleshy part of his ass.

“Ah!” Max gasped, turning his face away. “Careful. You’re making me hard.”

Eiya was breathing loudly next to his ear. Max felt another webbed hand cup his other cheek, and then both hands tightened, the sharp nails digging in. It hurt in a way that was exquisitely good, and Max groaned.

“Keep doing that,” he murmured, arching his body so that Eiya could feel just how stiff he was getting. He dragged his cock along the merman’s belly, loving Eiya’s sharp intake of breath. “See what you do to me?”

“Is good,” said Eiya, his voice low. He pushed his hips forward, and Max felt something blunt and warm nudge the inside of his thigh. Max instinctively rubbed against it, squirming slowly, and when he turned his head to look at Eiya, the merman’s mouth was hanging open.

“More?” Max asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

“Yeahh.”

Max grinned as he wriggled down, aligning his cock with Eiya’s. Just seeing Eiya like this, turned on and needy, left Max in awe. The merman was always beautiful, but right now he was the most erotic thing Max had ever seen. It was almost surreal; the way his tail undulated, how he gasped and whined, bucking when Max reached down to wrap his hand around their cocks. Max squeezed them together, and they both sighed at the relief.

It got even better when Eiya started to move. The merman’s pelvis circled in a way that was almost serpentine, and the result was a delicious slide that left Max’s belly feeling warm.

Max’s instincts screamed at him to hump back, but it wasn’t so easy in the water. The clumsy, slow way he moved was frustrating – all it did was mess up their rhythm, teasing them more than satisfying them. Max tried staying still instead, squeezing their lengths together while Eiya took control of the pace.

“Ah… that, _ah_ ,” Eiya got out, humping harder into Max’s hand. He was so slippery, Max could feel the thick wetness coating his palm, even underwater. It gave him an idea.

“Eiya – _ngh_ , stop moving like that, fuck.”

Max released their dicks and grabbed for Eiya’s shoulders, pulling himself up until their eyes were level. He noticed the slight flush to Eiya’s normally pale face. The merman was looking at him with barely concealed longing, and Max almost felt bad for what he was about to do. Almost.

“Let’s play a game,” he said, grinning. “Don’t move.”

“D-on’t?” Eiya asked, eyes widening.

“Nope, no moving.”

Max lowered himself back down until the water lapped around his shoulders. He felt Eiya’s cock sticking out, and he reached for it, pushing it down. He held it like that, pressing his thumb to the shaft, and it slipped beneath him to rest in the crack of Max’s ass.

“ _Oh_ ,” Eiya jerked as his dick was squeezed between Max’s cheeks, and the thing came dangerously close to shoving right inside.

“Hey, I said no moving,” Max admonished, raising his hips carefully.

“Sorry, no moving,” Eiya repeated, and he wrapped a webbed hand around Max’s arm like he needed something to hold on to.

“Okay,” Max said, and lowered himself once again.

Eiya groaned as his dick slid along Max’s skin, but he didn’t move. The merman’s cock pushed between Max’s ass cheeks again, precome making everything slippery, and Max slid it back and forth. He felt the tip catch against his hole and he circled it there, enjoying the way the stiffness pushed against the ring of muscle. Then he backed off again, sliding the length along his perineum and back up towards his tailbone.

Eiya looked like he was having trouble keeping his word. Max tilted his chin up to watch the merman’s face; he was biting his own lip, eyes squeezed shut. The sight made Max’s own cock ache, and the next time he felt that bluntness pressing against his hole, he bore down on it with a bit more urgency.

“Ngh,” Max grunted in frustration. The primal part of him wanted to just shove it all the way in, to sit on it and fill himself. The tip was slippery enough that it actually popped inside, and Eiya started to make noises like he was dying. When the merman’s hips twitched, Max reluctantly moved away. Even that much had hurt.

“Eiya, I’m not prepared,” he muttered.

Eiya didn’t answer. He was too busy wriggling his lower half around, trying to find the tight, warm spot that had enveloped him a moment ago.

“Hey, _shhh_ , listen to me,” Max said, louder. “Can you take us over to the jetty?”

Eiya just looked at him.

“Come _on_ , that way,” Max pointed, like he was steering a ship.

“…And then… more?”

“Yeah, lots more.”

“Okay,” Eiya agreed happily.

Max hung on tightly as they ploughed through the water, Eiya’s cock nudging at him with every stroke of his tail. Max grabbed for the jetty as soon as they got there, frustration hastening his movements.

“ _What_?” Eiya asked when Max pulled himself out of the water. The merman stared at him in disbelief. “You go? _Now_?!”

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere,” Max replied, sitting on the side, his legs dangling into the water. “I just need a minute.”

Max tried not to think about Eiya’s watchful gaze as he leaned back on one arm and brought the fingers of his free hand up to his mouth. He slipped two of them inside and sucked, not bothering to be discreet about it.

“ _Ah_.” Eiya was transfixed.

Max’s tongue swirled around, getting his fingers nice and wet before he removed them. A thin string of saliva stayed attached for just a moment before it broke, and Max brought the slick digits down between his legs to brush lightly over his hole.

He took deep breaths as he stroked circles around the tight entrance. He was still hard, his cock lying swollen and pink against his belly, but he ignored it as he pressed harder with his forefinger. It pushed in, and he sighed as he started to move it, stretching himself open. He glanced cautiously at Eiya’s face, wondering if this might be too much for the merman, but he needn’t have worried.

Eiya was looking flustered, his hair dishevelled, eyes wide. He tilted his head for a better view, and Max felt emboldened. He didn’t normally like being the centre of attention, but when Eiya was looking at him like that, Max found that he didn’t mind.

“What – ah, how does that…” The merman babbled.

“How does what?” Max asked, his voice huskier than he’d intended. It felt good, his finger curving inside him, the warmth of his inner walls squeezing it tightly.

“You like that?” Eiya questioned, getting closer.

“Mmm, yeah. I want something better, though.”

“Better?”

Eiya’s arm looked like it was moving under the water, the muscles of his shoulder standing out.

“Yeah, something _thicker_ ,” Max said, and he started to push with a second finger.

“ _Thick-ker?_ ”

The merman was near enough for Max to drape a leg over his shoulder, giving him a better view. He tilted his pelvis and pressed his second finger inside the opening, wiggling them together and feeling the dull, burning pain that came with the stretch. “Mmm, yeah,” he gasped. “I want _you_ inside.”

Eiya made a tortured sound and turned his face away, pressing it into Max’s leg. “You want me to…” he mumbled.

Max moaned as he fingered himself, imagining what it would be like when Eiya’s dick was inside him. He was thick – Max had to add another finger, prying himself open and letting the pain wash over him. He was so horny that he curled all three fingers right away, blurring the lines between pain and pleasure.

Eiya whimpered, peeking up at Max. “Can _I_?” He asked, practically begging.

“Just – just give me a second…”

Max spread the fingers inside him and reached for his cock with the other hand. He felt unbearably sensitive – precome had drooled out all over his stomach, strings of it sticking to his fingers. He shuddered as he ran his thumb along the slit.

“ _Please_?” Eiya tried.

“ _Fuck_ , okay, yes,” Max groaned.

Eiya turned to watch as Max slowly pulled his fingers out, bringing them up to run through the slippery mess on his belly. He hastily added the wetness to his loosened hole, dipping in and out just once before he retracted his leg from Eiya’s shoulder.

“Okay, I’m ready,” said Max.

Apparently, that seemed to be the signal for Eiya to wrap one hand around Max’s ankle and yank him right off the jetty.


	19. Chapter 19

Max squawked as he splashed down into the water, his arms flailing and only narrowly missing Eiya’s face. The merman managed to dodge, wisely keeping out of the way as Max surfaced.

The young man glared at him, pushing the wet hair out of his face and scowling. “The fuck?!” He spluttered, looking at the jetty and then back at Eiya. “Seriously?”

“Sorry,” said Eiya, not sounding sorry at all.

Max was about to respond when he noticed the look in Eiya’s eyes. His pupils were blown wide, almost totally eclipsing the irises, making him look more inhuman than ever. Their gazes locked and Eiya steadily swam closer, practically prowling, like an animal that had cornered its prey. Max even flinched when Eiya reached towards him with a pale, webbed hand, but all he did was tuck a stray lock of hair behind Max’s ear.

“Okay?” Eiya asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

“Y-yeah,” Max replied, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn’t know why he was getting so nervous all of a sudden.

“Then… Can I…”

Eiya moved to kiss him with his mouth already open. Max closed his eyes, feeling the merman’s chest bump against his, hands moving down to squeeze his ass again. Eiya was eager, tongue searching for Max’s, and he gave a low moan when Max’s jaw dropped wide.

Max relaxed into the familiar taste of Eiya. Kissing him always felt good – Eiya tilted his head from side to side, giving little kisses in between the deep ones, making tiny, muffled noises of pleasure against Max’s lips. He didn’t even know how sensual it felt – he was just moving on instinct, his hands roaming and groping aimlessly. When Eiya started pressing his dick insistently against Max’s thigh, Max knew he needed to take the lead.

He wasn’t nervous any more. His need for Eiya was so intense that it felt like a weight in his chest, constricting his ribs and making his heart flutter. He pulled back to breathe, pressing his forehead against Eiya’s.

“I’m ready,” Max said quietly. He pressed his lips against Eiya’s again, needing to feel his mouth, and then he slowly lifted up and wrapped his legs around Eiya’s hips. Their lips made a wet sound, and Max tried to give Eiya a reassuring smile as he reached under the water to adjust the merman’s dick.

Eiya hissed in a breath, his muscles tensing.

“I h-have to do this slowly,” Max told him, giving Eiya’s cock an apologetic squeeze. “Don’t move, okay? Like before.”

“No,” Eiya whined, rutting helplessly into Max’s hand.

“It has to be slow,” Max explained. “Or it could hurt.”

Eiya gave him a frightened look. “… _Hurt_?”

“Only a bit. And only if we go too fast.”

“Oh.” Eiya nodded. “Slow, then.”

Max lined the tip of Eiya’s cock up with his hole and sank down just enough to rub the weeping head back and forth, getting himself nice and slick. Eiya squeezed his eyes shut, and Max could feel the precome oozing out of him.

“Ready?”

Eiya whimpered. He was practically trembling with the effort of holding himself back. “ _Yes_ ,” he chirped in his own ethereal language.

Max understood it perfectly from the months he’d spent learning. He looked into Eiya’s face and watched the eyelashes flutter on his closed eyes – then he watched that expression change as he slowly let the tip push inside.

It was a beautiful sight. Eiya’s brows drew together and his mouth opened, his nostrils flaring as he let out a heavy breath. His webbed ears flattened to the side of his head as another inch of his cock sank in, and Max felt his walls clench automatically. Eiya yelped and Max froze, trying to force his body to relax.

“ _Hah_ ,” Eiya groaned urgently, his hands holding tight to Max’s shoulders.

“Sorry,” Max got out. The pain wasn’t actually that bad – Eiya’s cock was so slippery that it slid in and out easily, and Max moved his hips to let it massage the tight ring of muscle. He felt himself getting used to it, and Eiya let out a deep sigh of relief. “That better?” Max asked.

“Mmm. Is nice.”

“Yeah.” He sank down a bit more, using his own weight to push that stiffness further inside. It twitched, and Eiya started to shove it in himself, but Max stopped him with a hurried “ _wait_.”

Eiya stopped, a pained look on his face.

“Ngh, I just –“

The merman’s jaw had clenched, and his eyes were wild as they searched Max’s face. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to pin the man down and rut further into him, but Max knew that he was waiting for permission.

“ _Slowly_ ,” Max said, putting all his trust in the otherworldly creature.

Eiya took hold of Max’s waist, holding it steady. His cock was only buried a few inches deep, and every swish of his tail made it bob. It teased them both, and the temptation must have been practically irresistible, but Eiya didn’t move any faster.

“ _Hello_ ,” he clicked instead.

It confused Max for a moment, and he was about to say something sarcastic when he remembered what it really meant.

“I love you, too,” he gasped out instead, and that’s when Eiya’s cock sank in deeper.

Hungry lips descended on him, and Max let himself be kissed as the thickest part of Eiya’s cock slid inside. It kept on going, and Max concentrated on breathing through his nose, kissing Eiya back clumsily until smooth hips finally bumped against him.

“Mmph, stay still,” Max managed to say.

Eiya shook his head. “Squeezing,” he whined.

“I know, it just needs a minute to…. Ah…”

Eiya’s cock was throbbing so hard that Max could feel it. He groaned and pressed closer to Eiya’s body, trapping his own erection to Eiya’s stomach and rubbing it there with gentle motions of his hips. He could feel Eiya’s length sliding as he did, and the burn started to subside.

“Do I move now?” Eiya pleaded.

Max arched his back, testing himself. The curve of Eiya’s dick pressed into him just right, and pleasure flared along Max’s spine.

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed. “Not too fast though – just go out and back in again.”

Eiya squeezed Max’s waist, tightening his grip before lifting him up. It started off slow, but then Eiya’s tail canted backwards, and the subsequent thrust was an uncontrolled snap of Eiya’s hips.

“ _Ah_!” Max yelped. “What did I just say - _slowly_!”

“Nngh, s-sorry, I didn’t….” Eiya’s face was flushed, his lips still wet from their kiss. It looked good.

“It’s okay.” Max rolled his waist, gently circling his ass around. He pulled up slowly, just a few inches, and then dug his heels into Eiya’s back, forcing himself back down. The spike of sensation made them both gasp.

“More yet?” Eiya asked.

“Yeah,” Max nodded. He couldn’t stop himself from grinding down as far as he could go, loving the pressure of being so full. “Move, please move.”

Eiya rolled his hips, but only gently. “Yes?”

“That’s it,” Max encouraged. “ _More_.”

Eiya’s powerful tail wasn’t sluggish or slow underwater, not like Max was. It whipped back and forth easily, letting Eiya hump into the tight hole exactly the way he’d been wanting to: fast and hard.

“ _Ah_ – fuck – **_fuck_** \- “

Max held on tight, unable to stop the noises he was making. Every thrust was deep and long, ending in a fierce whack that Max felt in the pit of his stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to breathe through the flare of white-hot pleasure.

“Fuck,” he gasped again.

Eiya grunted and slowed his movements, lifting Max right up to the tip of his cock and then dropping him down again.

“What… _Uhh_ …What is this feeling… for you?” Eiya asked in broken English, pulling out again. It was like he’d forgotten how to speak, his words slurred with a heavy accent.

“Huh?”

“The feeling. _This_.” He gave a sharp buck of his hips.

“ _Fu_ – ah, it feels good.”

“Like this?”

He slammed in again.

“AH!”

Every movement the merman made was smooth and precise; Eiya would only stop when the tip of his cock was close to slipping out, his glans getting squeezed by the muscles there, and then he would ram all the way back in, sheathing himself completely. He got faster with every thrust, his fingers splayed across Max’s waist, thumbs digging into his hipbones.

Eiya skimmed over the spot inside Max that made the man’s eyes roll back, and Max could hardly breathe. It only took a slight adjustment, just the tilt of Max’s pelvis, and on the next thrust Eiya hit his prostate perfectly.

“ _Nghh_ ,” Max choked out. He pushed down on Eiya’s dick, rocking back and forth urgently. “Don’t stop, don’t stop, _ahh_ ,” he begged, and suddenly he was coming.

Neither of them expected it – Max’s climax was fast, his abdomen tensing, hot waves of pleasure shooting down his cock. He grabbed for it with one hand, mindlessly shifting it from side to side as he rode out his euphoria.

He could still feel Eiya moving inside him, but slower. His toes curled, and he took in a huge, gasping breath.

“Fuck,” he cursed, feeling the warm fluid that coated his hand begin to drift away in the water.

Eiya came to a reluctant stop. “Did I…Bad?”

“No,” Max said quickly. “Not you. I just wasn’t supposed to come yet and, uh, obviously…” He trailed off, feeling silly.

“Why?” Eiya asked, and he gave a small thrust that made Max’s sensitive hole twitch.

“Ah! Why not what?”

“Why not… come?”

He pushed into that tightness again, fucking Max like he couldn’t help it. It was driving Max crazy.

“I don’t… I’m not…”

Max couldn’t even think straight. His head was fuzzy, the satisfaction of orgasm mixing with dull need. He knew that it was feeling good for Eiya, he could feel the tension in the merman’s thrusts.

“More,” Max murmured.

That beautiful tail swished beneath them, and Eiya gave a low moan.

“Faster,” Max encouraged. “Yeah, that’s it.”

Eiya grunted and bucked his hips, water splashing around them. He looked down at the surface of the lake, leaning Max back to get a better view.

“Can you see?” Max asked, his voice wavering as Eiya rocked him back and forth.

Eiya frowned and shook his head.

Max reached down to hold his cock out of the way, and he wasn’t surprised to find it almost hard again. He palmed at it, letting it bounce in his hand as Eiya fucked him. He’d never felt anything so good; the sharp sensitivity left from his orgasm, the cool water lapping at his warm skin, and most of all, the creature he loved making those breathy noises.

“Ah… _Ah_ … I’m…” Eiya started to chitter and click, his thrusts getting slower but harder.

“Yes, come inside me,” Max panted, the idea sending a thrill right through him.

“I’m… I’m…”

Eiya pushed his cock in deep and left it there, groaning. He gave one last roll of his hips, and just when Max thought he was about to be filled, Eiya pulled out.

“Wh – _what_?!” Max blurted, confused.

“Fuh - I –“

Eiya was beyond words, his mouth opening and closing uselessly. He gave up, and his webbed hands shot forward to grab hold of Max, spinning him around with such force that Max squawked. He’d forgotten just how strong the merman was.

“I want…” Eiya said, and he pushed himself against Max’s back, grinding his slippery dick against one of Max’s ass cheeks. It felt marble-hard, trailing heat over Max’s skin.

“Do it,” Max demanded. He rubbed back, moving his hips to play with Eiya’s cock. It slipped towards the crack of his ass, and Max arched, letting the blunt head press against his hole.

It was too much for Eiya. He drove forward in one smooth stroke, pressing his chest against Max and groaning. He left his dick buried deep like that, just breathing hard on the back of Max’s neck.

“M- _move_ ,” Max demanded. He clenched his muscles, and Eiya gasped.

“Mmmh,” Eiya grunted, and then he drew out slowly, letting Max feel every inch of his curved dick.

When he pushed back in again, he didn’t stop; Eiya chased his orgasm with a powerful mix of sharp thrusts and sinuous slides, his tail only beginning to falter when he reached the edge.

The merman gave one last weak shove before his weight sagged against Max’s back, a keening whine leaving his mouth. Max could feel the pulsing warmth inside him, and then suddenly there was pain – Eiya was still whining, but the sound had become muffled in the back of Max’s neck, along with Eiya’s teeth.

“OUCH!” Max yelped, more shocked than anything.

Eiya was still shuddering, completely oblivious as Max tried to move his head away. The merman kept his jaws clamped on Max’s skin, completely overcome with the taste of him, the feeling of being inside him.

“Ow,” Max repeated when Eiya’s breathing started to slow. The merman froze for a second before he seemed to realise what he’d done. The dull burn of the bite went away so fast that it stung.

“Oh! Sh – sorry, argh!” Came the garbled response.

“How bad is it? Am I bleeding? I’m bleeding, aren’t I.”

“N – no.”

“Do I still have a neck, or has it gone?”

“Not gone, all fine.”

“Liar.”

Max raised a hand to the back of his neck and felt the little grooves in his skin. He brought his fingers around to look at, but there wasn’t any blood. Considering what Eiya could do with those teeth, it seemed like he really had held back.

“Oh. Never mind,” Max said. The pain had gone back to a dull burning sensation again, which Max found oddly pleasant.

“Forgiven?” Eiya asked, sounding slightly scared.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Eiya made a happy chirp and rested his head forward onto Max’s shoulder, hugging the man from behind.

“Uh… Eiya?”

“Mmmm?”

“…Do you want to pull out now?”

Eiya was still inside him, and Max could feel the merman’s cock slowly slipping from his ass. It felt weird.

Eiya only shook his head and pushed his hips forward, trying to get back in.

“No,” he said stubbornly.

Max sighed loudly, but he closed his eyes and smiled. If his boyfriend wanted to stay like this forever, then he was fine with it.

*

They both lay on the jetty some time later, drying out in the sun. Max thought Eiya might have fallen asleep – his breathing was steady and his head had dropped to one side, resting against Max’s shoulder.

Max was wide awake, however. Even with the soothing sounds of Eiya and the warmth of the sun, he couldn’t stop his mind from racing. He thought about the future – how good life was going to be, now that he was free to be with Eiya. Things at work seemed like they were about to improve, too, and then there was the treasure chest with those huge gold coins. Max hadn’t felt security like this in a long time, and he couldn’t help thinking about what he might do with the money. The answer seemed obvious.

“Hey, Eiya,” he whispered. “You awake?”

Eiya made a noncommittal noise and snuggled closer.

“What do you think about turning the boathouse into a home?” He mused how it might look, mapping it all out in his mind. “We could put in a kitchen in the corner and have a room for watching movies next to it, and then a bathroom with a huge bath… and a bedroom next to the water….”

Max felt Eiya’s ear twitching against his neck. “Bed? Bed for us?”

“ _Life_ for us,” Max corrected. “If you want it.”

Eiya nodded sleepily. He made a purring sound and twined his tail around Max’s calf, fusing them together. “I do want,” he said firmly, and Max smiled.

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone that read to the end, and a special thanks to nerdythangs for beta'ing! As always, I really appreciate your comments and kudos <3


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